TRANSPORT

A127/A13

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which 10 locations on  (a) the A127 and  (b) the A13 between the M25 and Southend have had the highest incidence of traffic accidents in each of the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is not available.

Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many free air miles have been earned by senior civil servants in his Department in each of the last three years; and how they were used.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport and its agencies do not record air miles accrued by staff. Civil servants must conform to policy which states that benefits such as air miles arising from official travel may not be used for private journeys, but may be offset against further official travel.

Aircraft Corridors

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) current and  (b) proposed aircraft corridors are across (i) Ribble Valley and (ii) Lancashire.

Gillian Merron: At present, all UK airspace is controlled above approximately 24,500 ft above mean sea level up to 66,000 ft. This will change in July next year when, in order to comply with European legislation, the lower limit of this Upper Airspace Control Area will be reduced to 19,500 ft. In the Upper Airspace Control Area, air routes UN615, UN57, UN601 and UL46 currently cross the Ribble Valley constituency. In addition, air route UY99 overflies Lancashire.
	In lower airspace, above the Ribble Valley and the adjacent areas of Lancashire, controlled airspace exists in the form of airways with stepped lower limits to accommodate the climb and descent profiles of aircraft operations associated with airports at Manchester and Liverpool. From west to east the routes are N615, lowest limit 6,500 ft; N57, lowest limit 5,500 ft; and N601, lowest limit 9,500 ft.
	I have arranged for a chart to be placed in the Libraries of the House indicating these routes as they pass over the Ribble Valley and northern Lancashire, together with the associated lower vertical limits.
	South of a line, which approximately joins Barnoldswick and Woodfold Hall (south of Mellor Brook), the airways are in the Manchester terminal area. The lower limit of controlled airspace immediately to the south of this line is 4,500 ft. Below these specified levels/altitude the airspace is uncontrolled.
	The Civil Aviation Authority is not aware of any proposals to change the dimensions of controlled airspace over the Ribble Valley and Lancashire.

Aircraft Safety

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether aircraft operators are required to show  (a) crews and  (b) passengers the Material Safety Data Sheets of the products they have been exposed to after a contaminated air event.

Gillian Merron: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has advised that there are no certification or operational requirements related to Material Safety Data Sheets. Aircraft operators are not therefore required by civil aviation safety regulations to show them to crews or passengers.

Aircraft Safety

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which aircraft types have reported the highest number of contaminated air events in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has advised that there have been 373 reportable occurrences involving contaminated air during the 10 year period from 1 May 1996 to 30 April 2006, during which there were 13.8 million flights carried out by UK operators worldwide in public transport operations.
	Seven aircraft types had 10 or more reportable occurrences of contaminated air, representing 75 per cent. of the total number of contaminated air occurrences in the 10 year period.
	
		
			  1 May 1996 to 30 April 2006 
			  Aircraft type  Reported occurrences involving contaminated air  Percentage of total reported occurrences 
			 Boeing 757 94 25 
			 British Aerospace BAe146 67 18 
			 EmbraerEMB145 38 10 
			 Boeing 737 29 8 
			 De Havilland DHC8 22 6 
			 Airbus A320 16 4 
			 Airbus A319 14 4 
			 Various other aircraft 93 25 
			 Total 373 100

Aircraft Safety

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Civil Aviation Authority has suspended the medical clearance of a pilot due to possible exposure to contaminated air or organophosphates in the last 30 years.

Gillian Merron: It has not been possible to establish from the Civil Aviation Authority's medical records prior to1999 that any pilot attributed his/her symptoms to exposure to contaminated cabin air. During the past six years symptoms that have been reported by licence holders and attributed by them to exposure to contaminated cabin air have resulted in the suspension of medical fitness of 10 airline transport pilot licence holders. The periods of suspension varied according to the type of symptoms reported. However, the symptoms that have been reported by these pilots have been very varied and it has not been possible to attribute the symptoms reported to definite chemical exposures.

Antisocial Behaviour (Trains)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers were ejected from trains for antisocial behaviour in the last 12 months, broken down by region.

Derek Twigg: Figures for the ejection of passengers from trains are not recorded by the British Transport Police.

Aviation Security

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to  (a) complete and  (b) report on his review of airport policing and the system of designation under section 25 of the Aviation Security Act 1982.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State anticipates receipt of a report from the independent review team on airport policing before the summer parliamentary recess.

Biological Diversity

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Minister in his Department is responsible for monitoring his Department's compliance with its duty under section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity in carrying out its functions; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: Under Section 74 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Ministers and Government Departments have a duty to have regard to the purpose of conserving biological diversity. This has been replaced by a similar provision under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act which comes into effect on 1 October 2006. There is no statutory duty to monitor compliance with this duty.
	The Department for Transport has taken a number of steps to benefit biodiversity. The Highways Agency has in place a comprehensive biodiversity action plan (HABAP) that ensures all habitats and species likely to be affected by its roads or form part of the roads estate are restored or enhanced as appropriate.
	The UK through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has been very active in the development of the NW Europe Ballast Water Management Strategy and the International Maritime Organisation's convention for the control management of ships ballast water and sediments, which aims to control non-indigenous species invading through the medium of ballast water and therefore protect maritime, coastal, and estuarine environments.

Biological Diversity

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department plans to take to monitor the extent to which public bodies which report to him comply, from October, with their duty to conserve biodiversity in exercising their functions under section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006.

Gillian Merron: Under Section 40 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006, all public bodies have a duty to have regard to the conservation of biodiversity in the exercising of their functions. There is no statutory obligation on Departments to monitor the extent to which public bodies comply with this duty. However, we understand the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working with a wide range of partners to develop guidance for public bodies to support the implementation of this duty and will involve all relevant Departments on the development of guidance.

Black/Asian Employees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) black and Asian and  (b) other people are employed in his Department's press office.

Gillian Merron: Information on ethnicity is collected on a voluntary basis, and not all members of staff wish to declare their ethnic origin. Our existing database does not identify any staff working in the press office who have declared that they are from an ethnic minority.

Bus Delivery Plan

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place  (a) on the Department's website and  (b) in the Library a copy of the Department's bus delivery plan.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not intend to publish the delivery plan for its public service agreement target to increase bus and light rail patronage. It is a working document intended for internal planning purposes that is used for the formulation of Government policy.
	Information on the detail and delivery of the public transport PSA target is available in the Department's Annual Reports and Autumn Performance Reports on PSA targets. These can be found on the DfT website and in the Library of the House.

Bus Services

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many posts are available to each traffic commissioner to monitor the reliability of bus services; and what the occupancy rate for each of these posts has been in each quarter in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  Region  Eastern  North East/ North West  Scotland  South East and Met.  Wales  Western  West Midlands 
			 Agreed number of posts for 2006 1 4 6 2 3 2 1 
			  
			  2001-02
			 1(st) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 3(rd) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 4(th) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			  
			  2002-03
			 1(st) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 3(rd) quarter 1 3 2 2 1 2 1 
			 4(th) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			  
			  2003-04
			 1(st) quarter 1 4 2 2 1 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 4 2 2 3 2 1 
			 3(rd) quarter 1 3 2 2 3 2 1 
			 4(th) quarter 1 4 2 2 3 2 1 
			  
			  2004-05
			 1(st) quarter 1 4 2 2 3 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 4 3 2 3 2 1 
			 3rd quarter 1 3 4 1 3 2 1 
			 4(th) quarter 1 4 4 1 3 2 1 
			  
			  2005-06
			 1(st) quarter 1 4 3 2 3 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 3 4 2 3 2 1 
			 2(nd) quarter 1 4 3 2 3 2 1 
			 3(rd) quarter 1 4 6 2 3 2 1

Bus Services

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total public spending  (a) per head of population and  (b) in total was on bus services in (i) County Durham, (ii) Tyne and Wear, (iii) Northumberland and (iv) the North East of England in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The majority of financial support for bus services is provided by local authorities in line with policy choices made at a local level, from their Revenue Support Grant supplemented by Rural Bus Subsidy Grant paid to authorities by the Department. The figures requested are shown in the following tables and include re-imbursement of concessionary fares on local buses, (consistent figures are available only from 1998-99).
	
		
			  Bus support per head of population 
			  £ per head 
			   Durham  Tyne and Wear  Northumberland  All North East 
			 1998-99 9.4 29.7 6.0 18.0 
			 1999-2000 9.9 28.6 6.9 17.7 
			 2000-01 10.6 28.7 6,7 17.7 
			 2001-02 12.1 28.9 7.5 18.2 
			 2002-03 12.7 29.7 9.0 19.2 
			 2003-04 14.1 25.4 10.3 18.1 
			 2004-05 13.6 25.1 12.3 18.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Bus Support 
			  £000 
			   Durham  Tyne and Wear  Northumberland  All North East 
			 1998-99 4,681 32,750 1,839 46,116 
			 1999-2000 4,907 31,377 2,129 45,101 
			 2000-01 5,268 31,280 2,071 45,115 
			 2001-02 5,994 31,375 2,309 46,254 
			 2002-03 6,272 32,236 2,773 48,770 
			 2003-04 6,972 27,480 3,177 46,007 
			 2004-05 6,740 27,204 3,814 47,328 
			  Note: The figures for Tyne and Wear contain some inconsistencies which are currently being checked by the passenger transport executive.  Source:  Local authority returns to DCLG, revenue outturn (RO2). 
		
	
	In addition, operators of local bus services receive Bus Service Operators Grant from this Department. This is paid direct to operators and is not attributed to a specific area.

Confederation of Passenger Transport

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many employees of the Confederation of Passenger Transport are seconded to his Department; and what the length of each secondment is.

Gillian Merron: There are no current inward secondments from the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Confederation of Passenger Transport

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's employees have been seconded to the Confederation of Passenger Transport in each of the last five years, broken down by grade; and how long each secondment lasted.

Gillian Merron: There has been one pay band 6 (grade 7) secondment to the Confederation of Passenger Transport since the Department for Transport was formed in May 2002. The secondment lasted three years and 10 months from May 2002.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will reply to the letter of 6 March (reference DT/007188/06) from the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington), on railway services, on behalf of Mr M. M. of Aylesbury.

Derek Twigg: I have now written to the hon. Member on this matter, and apologise for the delay.

Departmental Credit Card

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facility is available for senior civil servants in his Department to use credit cards supplied by the Department.

Gillian Merron: The Department does not issue official credit cards. The Department uses charge cards which are issued to officials, including some senior civil servants, to meet specific business needs.
	The Department has adopted the Government Procurement Card for purchasing low-value goods and services, and Corporate Cards for some official travel and related expenditure, issued under the umbrella of the OGCbuying.solutions pre-tendered National Framework contract.
	At the end of April 2006, six Government Procurement Cards and 21 Corporate Cards were held by senior civil servants.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage of the staff in his Department is  (a) male,  (b) female and  (c) disabled, broken down by grade.

Gillian Merron: The gender split of staff employed by the Department for Transport at 31 December 2005 along with the percentage of those reporting to be disabled are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Responsibility level  Male  Female  Department declaring being disabled 
			 SCS Level 78.34 21.66 1.38 
			 Grade 6/7 78.33 21.67 3.41 
			 SEO/HEO 69.79 30.21 4.72 
			 EO 65.30 34.70 4.69 
			 AO/AA 39.74 60.26 6.93 
			 Others(1) 85.02 14.98 1.15 
			 Total 56.62 43.38 5.39 
			 (1) Others relate to staff in HA, GCDA and VOSA whose grades do not fit into the general clerical grade structure.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension.

Gillian Merron: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS. As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.
	The number and percentage of staff in the department (including the Agencies) who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at 26 May 2006 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 CSAVCS 300 1.56 
			 Added Years 523 2.72 
			 Partnership 327 1.70

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what incentives are available to encourage members of his staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport provides the following incentives to encourage staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work:
	Salary advances for the purchase of season tickets
	Desktop journey planning tools
	Promotion of public transport and local and national transport information via intranets, internal newsletters and other communication routes.

Deputy Prime Minister (Government Car)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of the Deputy Prime Minister's Government car in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: Guidance on the use and provision of Government cars is set out in Travel by Ministers and the Ministerial Code. It is for individual Ministers to account for their travel arrangements.

Discounted Oil

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential impact on the transport infrastructure of the proposed supply of discounted oil to London from Venezuela.

Gillian Merron: The supply of oil or oil products at discounted rates to the UK is a commercial decision for Venezuela. The Department is not at present aware of any firm commitment by the Government of Venezuela to do so. It is therefore not possible to speculate on the potential implications for UK's transport infrastructure.

Gershon Report

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many civil servants were employed in his Department before the Gershon Report; what net reductions are proposed in the Gershon Report; how many reductions have been made; and how many civil servants are expected to be employed in his Department in the Gershon target month of April 2008.

Gillian Merron: The Department's 2006 annual report records 16,338 full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants in the Department for Transport, including its six agencies, for 31 March 2004 and 18,005 FTE for 31 March 2008. The Gershon Report proposed a reduction of 700-500 from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and 200 from the Centre of the Department by 31 March 2008. On 31 March 2006, DVLA and the centre had exceeded their trajectories for 2005-06 and are making good progress towards meeting the 2007-08 target. Further detail will be available in the Department's Autumn Performance Report. The Department's headcount reflects the 700 reductions in back office areas and necessary increases in front-line service areas—transport security, accident prevention, driving test provision, and traffic officer services—in order to meet customer demand. The Department has also taken on the Strategic Rail Authority's responsibilities.

Greater Western Franchise

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the mandatory High Return Alternative Tender for the Greater Western Franchise.

Derek Twigg: The High Return Alternative Tender (HRAT) formed part of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for the Greater Western Franchise issued by the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2005. The Department intends to make this public once the franchise agreement has been placed on the public register, and is working to do this as soon as possible.
	The Department did not require bidders to submit an HRAT in its Invitation to Tender for the South Western franchise, nor does it intend to require bidders to submit HRATs with future ITTs.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside his Department in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in his Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

Gillian Merron: The total spend for the Department for Transport and its agencies on IT sourced from outside the Department in each of the last five years is as follows:-
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 70.2 
			 2002-03 158.8 
			 2003-04 151.3 
			 2004-05 167.3 
			 2005-06 244.5 
		
	
	The accounting officer is the person ultimately responsible for IT projects in DfT. This will normally be agency chief executives (who are also the agency accounting officers) or the permanent secretary (the departmental accounting officer). There are two additional accounting officers in Department for Transport (one for the Driver, Vehicle and Operator Group and one for rail).
	Accounting officers will in turn be advised by their head of IT or equivalent, or the project manager for the relevant project.
	Bearing in mind disproportionate costs, it is not feasible to identify and list all those involved in DfT with their expertise and qualifications. However, some 400 DfT staff have been trained in programme and project management as part of the Professional Skills for Government initiative. Of these, some 47 in the senior civil service and some 150 below the SCS have so far obtained related qualifications.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department was formed in May 2002. A table showing the five largest information technology contracts agreed by the Department since that date has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

International Car Free Day

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to promote International Car Free Day on 21 September.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport sponsors the UK Co-ordinator of the "In Town, Without My Car!" Campaign who oversees the process by which local authorities in England and Wales register to participate in International Car Free Day, which is on 22 September.
	Each local authority has been sent a newsletter and information about European Mobility Week, which will take place between 16 to 22 September, and they have been invited to register to participate in the event. A new Good Practice Guide has recently been published and is available free of charge to members of the public.
	This year, "In Town, Without My Car!" Good Practice Guides and an information sheet "European Mobility Week—You Control Climate Change" were distributed to local authorities in England, Northern Ireland, the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Executive.
	An advertisement to promote "In Town, Without My Car!" will shortly appear in an edition of "Local Transport Today" and a copy of the Good Practice Guide will be enclosed in each copy.
	Regional workshops are being held and information linked to the campaign disseminated via the DfT website.
	Additionally, the results of the campaign are registered on the website of www.22september.org and are used to monitor progress and the effectiveness of individual initiatives.

Local Authority Roads

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the evidential basis was for the conclusion in the annual road maintenance condition survey that there had been a marked improvement in local authority roads; and what evidence was found in relation to roads in the  (a) Essex county council and  (b) Colchester borough council area.

Gillian Merron: The local roads defects index in the national road maintenance condition survey is based on a sample survey of assessment sites throughout England and Wales. As the survey is not designed to provide statistically valid estimates below regional level, results for Essex county council and Colchester borough council are not available.
	The conclusions on the visual condition of local roads in England as a whole are set out in Chapters 2 and 3 of the national road maintenance condition survey report, with further details of the statistical process provided in Annexe 3 of the report. The report for 2005 was published on 20 April 2006 and a copy placed in the House of Commons Library.

M4 Widening

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has made any plans for M4 widening.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department has no current plans for widening the M4.

Milton Keynes and South Midlands Spatial Strategy

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions have been made to improve transport links between Wellingborough and the surrounding area and London in the context of the implementation of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands spatial strategy.

Gillian Merron: Specific funding is already being made available to support transport schemes around the Wellingborough area.
	This includes growth area funding of £4.4 million to improve services and infrastructure on the X4 bus route linking Wellingborough with Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Oundle, Milton Keynes and Peterborough and £2.5 million for the Rushden Town Centre link road.
	Northamptonshire have commissioned a series of transportation studies to inform the development of a specific transport strategy for growth.

Nitrogen Dioxide

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use is being made of diffusion tube data in his Department's work assessing nitrogen dioxide levels in the Heathrow area.

Gillian Merron: Diffusion tube data have not been used by the Department in assessing the air quality in the Heathrow area as part of the Project for the Sustainable Development of Heathrow. Diffusion tube data may be useful for trend analysis but are not deemed appropriate for the purpose of monitoring compliance. The EC Directive and UK air quality objectives require the use of automatic analysers.

Nitrogen Dioxide

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which methods of measuring concentrations of nitrogen dioxide are considered acceptable by the European Commission in order to demonstrate compliance with the relevant air quality directives.

Gillian Merron: The reference method for assessing the concentration of nitrogen dioxide to demonstrate compliance with EU air quality legislation is given in Directive 1999/30/EC as that defined in ISO 7996: 1985 "Ambient air—determination of the mass concentration of nitrogen oxides—chemiluminescence method". A member state may however use any other method which it can demonstrate gives equivalent results. Data from the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) are used to fulfil the UK's obligations to monitor nitrogen dioxide concentrations in air and to report the results to the European Commission. The AURN has 94 urban and 16 rural nitrogen dioxide monitoring stations, all of which use the chemiluminescence method.

Northern Way Initiative

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what role his Department plays in the delivery of the Northern Way initiative.

Gillian Merron: The Northern Way is a pan-regional growth strategy being taken forward by the three northern regional development agencies and their partners. Its work has potential to play an important role in delivering the Government's Regional Economic Performance PSA. The Department for Communities and Local Government co-ordinates Government involvement with the Northern Way.
	The DCLG, Her Majesty's Treasury and the Department of Trade and Industry are currently working with the Northern Way to reinvigorate its work and focus more clearly on a smaller number of key priorities to deliver its strategy. As part of this process, the three Departments have recently been discussing with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills, DfES and the DfT their engagement with the Northern Way and how this might be strengthened. The DfT is represented on both the Northern Way's strategic policy group and the transport compact.

Promotion Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what promotion boards have been held in his Department in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Promotion in the DfT is achieved by way of promotion board panels, often for particular posts, and through assessment centres for certain grades within and below the senior civil service.
	Information on the number of boards held is not collected centrally.

Racial Abuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints of racial abuse have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in his Department in each of the last 5 years.

Gillian Merron: There have been a total of four complaints of racial abuse across the Department and its Executive Agencies over the past five years. None of these complaints has been upheld.

Railways

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to encourage the streamlining of rail fares.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 14 June 2006
	The Department do regulate some rail fares but many are a commercial matter for the operator concerned. We are discussing with train operators what might be done to simplify passengers' choice of fares. We are also discussing with National Rail Enquiries how fares information might be better presented.

Railways

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1280W, on rail services, if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's specifications for the construction of the timetable from Paddington to the West Country.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The timetable specification formed part of the invitation to tender (ITT) for the Greater Western franchise, issued by the Strategic Rail Authority in June 2005. The Department intends to make this public once the franchise agreement has been placed on the public register, and is working to do this as soon as possible.

Railways

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 641W, on railways, what discussions his Department has had with Network Rail on  (a) the funding of and  (b) the likely timetable for the installation of enhanced CCTV at Network Rail railway stations.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 17 May 2006
	Network Rail and the train operators are taking forward the installation of CCTV at stations as part of an ongoing programme of work. Franchise agreements already include funding to make improvements to station facilities and this would include the installation of CCTV where appropriate. About a third of the 2,500 stations on the national network already have CCTV in place.

Railways

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what bonuses have been paid as a result of the publication of Network Rail's preliminary results for the year to 31 March; and to whom.

Derek Twigg: Network Rail is a private sector company, so decisions on bonuses paid to its directors and other employees are a matter for it. Network Rail's preliminary results for the year to 31 March 2006 and accompanying press notice provide information on bonuses and are available on the company's website, www.networkrail.co.uk.

Railways

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department and Network Rail expect to take a decision on the upgrading of Reading Station.

Derek Twigg: Reading borough council has submitted to the Department a local transport plan major scheme bid for Reading Station. Decisions on major scheme bids will need to take account of the advice from regions on their priorities within regional funding allocations, which we are currently considering.

Railways

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions his Department has had with Network Rail concerning the upgrading of Reading Station.

Derek Twigg: The Department is a member, alongside Network Rail and the Government office for the South East, of the Reading Station Partnership Board which is led by the local authority. Departmental officials last attended the board when the finalised business case for the enhanced capacity elements of the project was presented.

Railways

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with other agencies concerning a rail link to Heathrow from Reading Station.

Derek Twigg: The Department continues to discuss the project with relevant parties, especially with regard to the funding of the capital element of the project. In the invitation to tender for the South Western franchise, bidders have been invited to include indicative proposals for the costs of operating AirTrack services, assuming the necessary infrastructure is in place.

Recruitment

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport and its agencies have spent the following amount on recruitment, search and selection agencies in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2001-02 141,000 
			 2002-03 263,000 
			 2003-04 416,000 
			 2004-05 1,152,000 
			 2005-06 634,000 
			  Note: The figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

Redhill Aerodrome

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is towards developing Redhill Aerodrome as a commercial passenger airport; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Government's policy on airport capacity is set out in "The Future of Air Transport" White Paper. The White Paper did not support major commercial development at Redhill Aerodrome because of its close proximity to Gatwick Airport and the associated airspace conflicts.

Road Improvements (Suffolk)

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much central Government funding has been allocated to  (a) Suffolk county council and  (b) each local authority for road improvements in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The following table shows the funding allocated to Suffolk county council in the local transport capital settlements between 1997-98 and 2005-06. The integrated transport block allocations are available for local authorities to use on road and public transport improvements, according to their local priorities.
	
		
			  Suffolk county council 
			  £000 
			  Nature of funding  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Highways Capital  Maintenance — — — 4,472 13,467 11 ,808 12,316 14,485 15,274 
			 Integrated Transport — — — 4,000 7,500 8,150 8,250 7,745 7,350 
			 Total allocation 4,939 4,636 5,554 8,472 20,967 19,958 20,566 22,230 22,624 
		
	
	In addition Suffolk county council is receiving £30.5 million for the South Lowestoft Relief Road that will remove the major traffic flows from the old A12 allowing significant bus, safety and environmental improvements.
	 (b) Information relating to central funding for each local authority for road improvements since 1997 was placed in the Libraries of the House on 18 January 2006 and is also available on the DFT website.

Royal Flight

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1285W, on the Royal Flight, on which occasions since 1 January 2003 the BAe 146 and HS125 aircraft of 32 Squadron have been used by members of the Royal Family for private purposes; and what amount was reimbursed for each journey.

Gillian Merron: Since 1 January 2003, the BAe 146 and HS125 aircraft of 32 Squadron have been used for private purposes on four occasions. The details are as follows:
	 27 March 2004 - HRH the Duke of Edinburgh
	Northolt - Stuttgart - Northolt (HS125) Reimbursement cost £6,375.
	 8 June 2004 - HM the Queen
	Deauville - Northolt (BAe 146) Reimbursement cost £2,150.
	 5-7 November 2004 - HM the Queen
	Northolt - Manchester - Northolt (HS125) Reimbursement cost £3,547.
	 11 November 2005 - HM the Queen
	Blackpool - Northolt (BAe 146) Reimbursement cost £4,054.

Smoking

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the prevalence of smoking on buses where a no-smoking policy is in place.

Gillian Merron: Where general legislation on smoking is not in force it is for local bus operators to determine and enforce their own policies on passengers smoking on their vehicles, ultimately with recourse through the courts.

Smoking

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether it is legal to smoke while driving a car.

Stephen Ladyman: There is no specific prohibition on smoking while driving a vehicle. Road traffic legislation places responsibility on all drivers to have proper control of their vehicles. Any motorist who fails to do so, for whatever reason, such as smoking, or eating and drinking, is liable to prosecution.

Taxi Drivers

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what restrictions apply to the amount of time a taxi driver is allowed to drive in one shift.

Gillian Merron: The majority of taxi drivers are self-employed and there are no restrictions on the amount of time such drivers are allowed to drive in one shift.

Thames Crossing (Greater Reading Area)

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with local authorities about a third Thames crossing in the Greater Reading area;
	(2)  what progress his Department has made on bringing local authorities together to execute a plan for a third Thames crossing in the Greater Reading area.

Gillian Merron: Although officials in the Government office for the South East have regular meetings with the authorities in the Thames Valley area, they have not been party to any recent meetings to specifically discuss a third Thames crossing in the Greater Reading area.

Transport Acts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 and for which his Department has policy responsibility which remains in force.

Gillian Merron: The provision of a definitive list would require extensive consultation with other Government Departments and incur disproportionate costs. The following are the general Acts passed during the relevant period which remain in force and which appear to the Department for Transport to be those for which it has primary policy responsibility.
	Road Traffic (Drivers' Ages and Hours of Work) Act 1976 (1976 c 3)
	Transport Act 1978 (1978 c 55)
	Carriage by Air and Road Act 1979 (1979 c 28)
	British Aerospace Act 1980 (1980 c 26)
	Civil Aviation Act 1980 (1980 c 60)
	Highways Act 1980 (1980 c 66)
	Transport Act 1980 (1980 c 34)
	Ports (Financial Assistance) Act 1981 (1981 c 21)
	Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 (1981 c 14)
	Transport Act 1981 (1981 c 56)
	Aviation Security Act 1982 (1982 c 36)
	Civil Aviation Act 1982 (1982 c 16)
	Merchant Shipping (Liner Conferences) Act 1982 (1982 c 37)
	Transport (Finance) Act 1982 (1982 c 6)
	Transport Act 1982 (1982 c 49)
	Civil Aviation (Eurocontrol) Act 1983 (1983 c 11)
	International Transport Conventions Act 1983 (1983 c 14)
	Level Crossings Act 1983 (1983 c 16)
	Ports (Reduction of Debt) Act 1983 (1983 c 22)
	Transport Act 1983 (1983 c 10)
	Cycle Tracks Act 1984 (1984 c 38)
	Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 (1984 c 27)
	Dangerous Vessels Act 1985 (1985 c 22)
	London Regional Transport (Amendment) Act 1985 (1985 c 10)
	Ports (Finance) Act 1985 (1985 c 30)
	Transport Act 1985 (1985 c 67)
	Airports Act 1986 (1986 c 31)
	Dockyard Services Act 1986 (1986 c 52)
	Highways (Amendment) Act 1986 (1986 c 13)
	Road Traffic Regulation (Parking) Act 1986 (1986 c 27)
	Channel Tunnel Act 1987 (1987 c 53)
	Motor Cycle Noise Act 1987 (1987 c 34)
	Pilotage Act 1987 (1987 c 21)
	Dartford-Thurrock Crossing Act 1988 (1988 c 20)
	Merchant Shipping Act 1988 (1988 c 12)
	Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Rear Seat Belts by Children) Act 1988 (1988 c 23)
	Road Traffic (Consequential Provisions) Act 1988 (1988 c 54)
	Road Traffic Act 1988 (1988 c 52)
	Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 (1988 c 53)
	Parking Act 1989 (1989 c 16)
	Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Act 1989 (1989 c 22)
	Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (1990 c 31)
	Civil Aviation Authority (Borrowing Powers) Act 1990 (1990 c 2)
	Horses (Protective Headgear for Young Riders) Act 1990 (1990 c 25)
	British Railways Board (Finance) Act 1991 (1991 c 63)
	Motor Vehicles (Safety Equipment for Children) Act 1991 (1991 c 14)
	New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (1991 c 22)
	Ports Act 1991 (1991 c 52)
	Radioactive Material (Road Transport) Act 1991 (1991 c 27)
	Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991 (1991 c 26)
	Road Traffic Act 1991 (1991 c 40)
	Traffic Calming Act 1992 (1992 c 30)
	Transport and Works Act 1992 (1992 c 42)
	Railways Act 1993 (1993 c 43)
	Road Traffic (Driving Instruction by Disabled Persons) Act 1993 (1993 c 31)
	Road Traffic Regulation (Special Events) Act 1994 (1994 c 11)
	Transport Police (Jurisdiction) Act 1994 (1994 c 8)
	Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 (1994 c 22)
	Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 (1995 c 23)
	Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (1995 c 21)
	Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 (1995 c 13)
	Shipping and Trading Interests (Protection) Act 1995 (1995 c 22)
	Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996 (1996 c 61)
	Civil Aviation (Amendment) Act 1996 (1996 c 39)
	London Regional Transport Act 1996 (1996 c 21)
	Railway Heritage Act 1996 (1996 c 42)
	Merchant Shipping and Maritime Security Act 1997 (1997 c 28)
	Road Traffic Reduction Act 1997 (1997 c 54)
	Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 (1998 c 34)
	Road Traffic Reduction (National Targets) Act 1998 (1998 c 24)
	Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 (1999 c 3)
	Road Traffic (Vehicle Testing) Act 1999 (1999 c 12)
	Transport Act 2000 (2000 c 38)
	Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 (2001 c 3)
	Private Hire Vehicles (Carriage of Guide Dogs etc.) Act 2002 (2002 c 37)
	Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Act 2002 (2002 c 4)
	Aviation (Offences) Act 2003 (2003 c 19)
	Marine Safety Act 2003 (2003 c 16)
	Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 (2003 c 20)
	Highways (Obstruction by Body Corporate) Act 2004 (2004 c 29)
	Traffic Management Act 2004 (2004 c 18)
	Railways Act 2005 (2005 c 14)
	Merchant Shipping (Pollution) Act 2006 (2006 c 8)

Transport Infrastructure Schemes (Thames Valley)

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has made available for transport infrastructure schemes in the Thames Valley in the last eight years, broken down by local authority area.

Gillian Merron: Since the Local Transport Settlement in December 1998 the Thames Valley area has received £370 million for local transport improvements and maintenance schemes. This figure is broken down in the following table. In addition Buckinghamshire county council is receiving £32.5 million for the A4146 Stoke Hammond and Linslade Western Bypass.
	The Highways Agency has also made available £44 million in funding for the A41 Aston Clinton Bypass as well as £72 million for the A34 Chieveley/M4 Junction 13 improvement since 1998.
	
		
			  Funding for integrated transport block and capital highways maintenance 
			  £ million 
			   1999-00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Bracknell Forest 0.839 0.780 1.580 1.756 1.654 2.804 2.479 1.651 
			 Reading 2.562 2.902 7.350 6.294 6.951 9.367 6.747 7.121 
			 Slough 0.863 0.884 1.312 1.500 1.434 1.467 1.536 1.532 
			 West Berkshire 1.850 1.732 2.885 3.130 3.233 3.970 3.969 3.738 
			 Windsor 1.392 1.581 2.725 2.791 3.075 3.353 3.268 3.002 
			 Wokingham 1.118 1.471 2.319 2.372 2.797 2.648 2.644 2.538 
			 Oxfordshire 6.764 10.557 18.545 18.613 19.927 23.957 27.283 22.851 
			 Buckinghamshire 4.377 5.879 13.027 12.340 12.435 13.807 10.773 11.469 
			 Total 19.765 25.786 49.743 48.796 51.506 61.373 58.699 53.902 
		
	
	In addition, the Government are providing record levels of funding for railways infrastructure through the passenger franchises and by direct grant to Network Rail. This funding is not classified by local authority area, but the Thames Valley local authority areas have benefited from work by Network Rail to address the rail infrastructure renewals backlog. Particular local authorities have benefited from rail enhancement projects, including Buckinghamshire from improvements to the Chiltern Line and Berkshire authorities from replacement of "slam door" rolling stock on the Reading/Windsor—Waterloo route.

PRIME MINISTER

Civil Service Bill

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to be in a position to bring forward a Civil Service Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Murphy) to my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright) on 8 November 2005,  Official Report, column 159.

Correspondence

Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Colchester of 1 March 2006 and 10 April 2006 on the centenary of the scout movement.

Tony Blair: My Office has replied to the hon. Member.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Influenza

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2006,  Official Report, column 942, on avian influenza, what steps the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has taken to hold discussions with the Association of Local Government Ecologists.

Ben Bradshaw: At the request of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, DEFRA officials held discussions with Mr. Steve Moon, Chair of the Association of Local Government Ecologists. An offer was extended to Mr. Moon, or another representative of the association, to participate in the DEFRA avian influenza stakeholder group. This offer was declined.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what legislation would be required to implement the Countryside Agency's coastal access proposals;
	(2)  what the estimated cost is of implementing the coastal access proposals of the Countryside Agency;
	(3)  what areas of the country would be exempt from the Countryside Agency's coastal access proposals;
	(4)  how many people were involved in the consultation by the Countryside Agency on coastal access; what the cost of the consultation is; which areas are involved in the consultation; what questions are being asked; and when he expects  (a) the consultation to be completed and  (b) the findings to be passed to him;
	(5)  what assistance his Department will provide  (a) to landowners and  (b) to prevent damage to the coastline if the Countryside Agency's coastal access proposals are implemented.

Barry Gardiner: In line with DEFRA's five-year strategy we are looking at ways to improve access to the English coast. We have asked the Countryside Agency, working together with its Natural England partners, English Nature and the Rural Development Service, to undertake additional research and analysis to identify a range of options.
	As part of this work, the Natural England partnership has taken forward an information- gathering exercise to collect data on a national basis to develop a comprehensive picture of the coast and existing access provision. Advice will be submitted to DEFRA at the end of July, and will serve to inform a full public consultation paper in October. The consultation will discuss the best ways to improve access to the English coast, including costs and any legislative changes needed to support their implementation. It will be supported by a partial Regulatory Impact Assessment. The results of the consultation exercise will be published.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Countryside Agency has had with  (a) the relevant authorities in (i) Wales and (ii) Scotland,  (b) local authorities,  (c) non-governmental organisations and  (d) non-statutory bodies on its coastal access proposals.

Barry Gardiner: The Countryside Agency, along with its Natural England partners English Nature and the Rural Development Service, is represented on DEFRA's Coastal Land Advisory Group. Meetings of the Group have provided a forum for coastal access issues to be discussed with the National Trust, Local Government Association, Ministry of Defence, Environment Agency, English Heritage, Welsh Assembly Government and the Forestry Commission.
	The National Countryside Access Forum, chaired by the Countryside Agency, considered coastal access issues at its meeting on 17 May 2006. The Forum's membership includes the British Horse Society, British Mountaineering Council, Central Council for Physical Recreation, Country Land and Business Association, Cyclists Touring Club, Local Government Association, Moorland Association, National Farmers' Union, National Trust, Ramblers Association and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Representatives from local access forums, the Countryside Council for Wales and Scottish Natural Heritage also attended the meeting on 17 May 2006.
	In addition, the Natural England partnership held a series of stakeholder events in each of four study areas in which they have been doing detailed work on options to improve access to the English coast. At these events they sought the views and expertise of a wide range of local organisations, including the local authorities for each of the areas concerned.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Countryside Agency has had with those administering Crown interests on its coastal access proposals; and when they took place.

Barry Gardiner: The Countryside Agency held initial discussions with the Crown Estate in 2005. My officials also met representatives from the Crown Estate on 6 December 2005.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what  (a) research has been commissioned and  (b) surveys have been carried out by the Countryside Agency on coastal access in the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The Countryside Agency, along with its Natural England partners English Nature and the Rural Development Service, has carried out a detailed data-gathering exercise to support a comprehensive picture of the English coast and existing access provision. This work includes in-depth investigation, testing and costing of a number of possible ways to improve access, and ways to maximise landscape, historic environment and wildlife benefits.
	In 2005 the Countryside Agency carried out short studies of six different parts of the English coast to gain an understanding of different coastal environments. In January 2006 the Natural England Partnership selected four study areas in which they are exploring coastal access issues in greater depth. These areas, selected to reflect the diversity of the English coast, are the Suffolk Coast, Southern Cumbrian Coast and Morecambe Bay, County Durham and Hartlepool Coast, North Devon, Exmoor and the West Somerset Coast.
	The Countryside Agency has also commissioned a study to examine how coastal access works in other European countries and what might be learnt from their experience. Further survey work is being done to assess current public knowledge about the demand for and use of coastal access, along with research into the costs of possible options to improve coastal access.

Coastal Access

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations on coastal access the Department has conducted in the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The Department has not carried out any public consultations on coastal access in the last five years.

Housing

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to discuss the recommendations of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission Report with his colleagues in  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and  (b) other Government Departments; and whether he has set a timetable for the development of a Government (i) response to the report and (ii) plan to implement the agreed recommendations.

Barry Gardiner: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Minister for Housing and Planning, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) and I all took part in discussions of the Affordable Rural Housing Commission report on the day of its launch. Affordable rural housing will continue to be one of the subjects covered in the regular dialogue between the two Departments and across Government.
	The Government are currently considering the report and will use a range of channels and mechanisms to respond in a constructive way to the agenda set by the Commission, including in the forthcoming Spending Review.

Payment Schemes

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many applications for the Entry Level Stewardship scheme have been made; and how much had been paid to applicants at the latest date for which figures are available.

Barry Gardiner: By 7 June 2006, 22,500 applications for Entry Level Stewardship had been received, and a total of £17.4 million paid to agreement holders.

Rural Development Service

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of compiling, printing and posting the leaflet Celebrating the Rural Development Service; and whether there are plans to issue further Rural Development Service leaflets prior to the service's replacement in October.

Barry Gardiner: The total cost was £8,300.
	There are no plans to issue further leaflets.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to ensure the next round of single farm payments is made on time.

Barry Gardiner: We are determined that the right lessons are learned from our experience this year with the Single Payment Scheme, first to prepare for the undoubted challenges that will exist in the delivery of the 2006 scheme, and secondly to move to a more stable position for the 2007 scheme year. Work has already started to this end with the measures set out on 29 March 2006,  Official Report, column 305WH, by my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) and the subsequent appointment of Mr. Tony Cooper as interim chief executive of the Rural Payments Agency. But this is a long-term project with no quick or easy solutions.

Single Farm Payments

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to ensure all maps used for the calculation of single farm payments are accurate.

Barry Gardiner: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is responsible for the maintenance of the Rural Land Register (RLR), and information from the RLR is used to support claims to the Single Payment Scheme. The process of digitising land and amending existing land registrations has been amended recently, with activity brought back on to RPA's main computer system. This followed a period when an outsourced provider was used to digitise land during a period of exceptionally high demand.
	The digitisation process itself includes a number of quality checks to ensure that the correct land parcel and area are digitised. Where errors are found they are corrected before maps are issued to customers. Further amendments are made where customers identify issues with the maps they receive. RPA is aware of a number of cases where there have been issues with maps sent to customers. The re-establishment of an in-house process will aid the cross-check of new and amended land areas to customer details.

Single Payment Scheme

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average cost is of processing a Single Payment Scheme claim; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The gross running costs of the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) for 2005-06 were £236.5 million, of which £55.1 million related to one-off costs associated with the RPA change programme and common agricultural policy reform implementation. The balance of £181.4 million represented the costs of RPA's normal operations, of which the administration of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) forms part.
	For the 2005 SPS scheme year, there were 120,000 claims with an expected value of £1.5 million (net of modulation).

Subsidies (Rossendale)

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action his Department is taking to recoup overpayments of subsidies paid to farmers in Rossendale.

Barry Gardiner: We have identified one farmer in the Rossendale area who has an existing debt with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). The matter has been referred to the RPA Legal Division for a decision on whether legal proceedings should be issued to recover the debt. RPA is not aware of any other existing or potential overpayments in the Rossendale area.

Timber

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what monitoring systems are in place to ensure that all Government purchased timber and timber products are procured in accordance with the Government's timber procurement policy; and what evidence is required to prove that timber purchased is derived from legally harvested trees.

Barry Gardiner: The model conditions of contract that Departments are advised to use in respect of their timber purchases require contractors to obtain documentary evidence that the timber and wood derived products supplied are legal timber. The conditions further require the contractor to identify a chain of custody from the forest source through to delivery of the final product and to obtain independent verification if requested by the contracting authority.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House if he will keep a separate record of the amount spent annually by his office on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Jack Straw: My Office already keeps records on alcohol and hospitality costs. It spent approximately £1,150.00 on alcohol in the financial year 2005-06.

WALES

Departmental Chief Accounting Officer

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of his Department.

Peter Hain: As set out in the annual report (Col. 6385, published 25 May 2006), the Wales Office pays grant to the National Assembly for Wales, accounting directly within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) for its own expenditure of some £5 million a year. Its director is appointed as an additional accounting officer to the DCA permanent secretary. The director combines these duties with responsibility for the overall organisation, management, staffing and procedures of the Wales Office.
	The director is Alan Cogbill, a graduate entrant to the civil service. He has no professional accountancy qualification. He has experience as finance director of the DCA, and has undertaken civil service training in Government finance and accounting. He is assisted by professionally qualified accountants in DCA as need be.

TREASURY

World Poverty

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution his Department is making to meeting the 2015 targets for reducing world poverty.

Dawn Primarolo: The Treasury works closely with DFID to deliver a substantial and high quality UK aid programme, and also with the international community to make progress towards the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. DFID's budget is increasing from £3.8 billion in 2004-05 to £5.3 billion in 2007-08—making a real terms increase of 140 per cent. since 1997. I have announced a timetable to reach the UN target of 0.7 per cent. ODA/GNI in 2013.
	The MDGs and global poverty were at the heart of the UK Presidencies of the EU and the G7/8 in 2005. The international community committed to raise an additional $50 billion of aid by 2010, to cancel 100 per cent. of the multilateral debts of the world's poorest countries, and to launch the International Finance Facility for Immunisation. G8 leaders also agreed to achieve universal access to AIDS treatment for all those who need it by 2010, and work on Advance Market Commitments for vaccines against malaria, HIV/AIDS and other priority diseases.
	These are the sorts of measures needed to get progress towards the MDGs back on track. The key challenge now is for donors to fully implement their commitments and for developing countries to develop 10-year plans to meet the MDGs.

Competitiveness

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the principal factors affecting the competitiveness of UK businesses.

Brian Binley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has had made of the principal factors affecting the competitiveness of UK businesses and industry.

Edward Balls: I refer the hon. Members to what I said on the Floor of the House earlier today in reply to the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Miss Kirkbride).

Biodiesel

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of changes to taxation on biodiesel.

John Healey: Biodiesel attracts a favourable duty differential of 20 pence per litre less than that for the main road fuels. In line with the alternative fuels framework, we have guaranteed that this differential will continue until 2008-09. Changes to duty rates, including that for biodiesel, are made by the Chancellor in the light of a range of social, environmental and economic factors.

Bonuses

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1842W, on bonuses, why  (a) the total amount awarded in bonuses to staff rose and  (b) the total number of awards dropped between 2003-04 and 2005-06.

John Healey: The payment of end-year bonuses is linked to an individual's overall performance mark in their annual performance appraisal for the previous year. Prior to 2004-05 HMT operated a system for staff below Senior Civil Servant (SCS) with the following categories:
	Top 5 per cent.
	Next 30-35 per cent.
	Next 50-55 per cent.
	Next 5-10 per cent.
	with those in the top two categories being awarded a bonus.
	The categories in appraisal year 2004-05 were changed to:
	Top 20 per cent.
	Next 60 per cent.
	Bottom 20 per cent.
	with only those in the top category being awarded a bonus, which were paid in 2005-06. As a result the average size of end-year bonuses increased significantly.

Child Pregnancies

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls aged 16 years and under  (a) became pregnant,  (b) had an abortion,  (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and  (d) gave birth and kept the child in each year since 1985, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many girls aged 16 and under (a) became pregnant, (b) had an abortion, (c) gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and (d) gave birth and kept the child in each year since 1985, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region. I am replying in her absence. (75626)
	Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Number of conceptions to girls aged under 14, 14, 15 and 16 from 1987 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 1. Figures for 1985 and 1986 are not provided because ONS amended the method for calculating woman's age at conception and revised data are not available prior to 1987.
	Conception figures are routinely published each year by region for all girls aged under 16. Conception to girls aged 16 years by region can only be made available at a disproportionate cost.
	Number of conceptions to girls aged under 16 by region from 1992 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 2. There have been Government Office Regional boundary changes prior to 1992 and figures prior to then are not compatible with later years.
	Number of abortions to girls aged 14 and under, 15 and 16 from 1987 to 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 3. Figures for girls for aged 14 and under are grouped to protect small numbers which may be revealed by previously published data.
	Numbers of abortions to girls aged 16 and under, by regional offices in England from 1987 to 2004 are shown in Table 4.
	Number of live births to girls aged under 12, 12 ,13, 14, 15 and 16 from 1985 to 2005 (the latest year for which figures are available) are shown in Table 5.
	Figures on live births by region have been compiled on the same basis as conceptions and number of live births to girls aged under 16 by Government Office Region from 1992 to 2005 are shown in Table 6.
	Information is not available on how many girls aged 16 years and under gave birth and gave the child up for adoption and gave birth and kept the child.
	
		
			  Table 1: Conceptions to women under 17 by age, 1987-2004, England and Wales 
			   Age of mother 
			   Under 14  14  15  16  All under 17 
			 1987 312 1,777 6,538 16,112 24,739 
			 1988 270 1,652 6,336 15,395 23,653 
			 1989 223 1,650 6,077 14,703 22,653 
			 1990 316 1,754 6,069 13,923 22,062 
			 1991 318 1,686 5,476 12,623 20,103 
			 1992 363 1,632 5,222 11,932 19,149 
			 1993 368 1,774 5,125 11,031 18,298 
			 1994 397 1,938 5,460 11,336 19,131 
			 1995 382 1,834 5,835 12,382 20,433 
			 1996 451 1,961 6,445 14,284 23,141 
			 1997 365 1,964 5,942 14,058 22,329 
			 1998 423 1,988 6,041 13,802 22,254 
			 1999 406 1,866 5,673 13,334 21,279 
			 2000 397 1,890 5,827 13,153 21,267 
			 2001 400 1,890 5,613 13,103 21,006 
			 2002 390 1,858 5,627 13,475 21,350 
			 2003 334 1,888 5,802 13,303 21,327 
			 2004(1) 341 1,751 5,521 13,616 21,229 
			 (1) Provisional.  Source: Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Conceptions under 16 by Government office region, 1992-2004, England and Wales 
			   North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East  London  South East  South West  Wales  England and Wales 
			 1992 478 1,095 907 641 924 571 867 788 764 470 7,217 
			 1993 560 1,140 825 634 917 563 867 794 502 465 7,267 
			 1994 567 1,172 956 632 1,030 576 965 840 552 505 7,795 
			 1995 627 1,165 894 702 998 608 1,019 890 581 567 8,051 
			 1996 659 1,272 971 737 1,103 647 1,171 1,006 646 644 8,856 
			 1997 621 1,106 971 655 1,012 631 1,141 972 598 564 8,271 
			 1998 570 1,177 972 701 1,035 635 1,152 960 653 597 8,452 
			 1999 499 1,178 919 616 890 627 1,058 963 658 537 7,945 
			 2000 522 1,157 831 631 994 613 1,246 983 643 495 8,115 
			 2001 460 1,068 861 610 934 642 1,252 977 603 496 7,903 
			 2002 460 1,090 928 609 904 650 1,229 952 573 480 7,875 
			 2003 498 1,180 876 606 925 636 1,247 984 606 466 8,024 
			 2004(1) 481 1,074 871 611 898 601 1,127 918 598 434 7,613 
			 (1) Provisional. Source:  Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Total abortions for girls age 16 and under by age, England, 1987-2004 
			   Age of mother 
			   14 and under  15  16  Total 16 and under 
			 1987 859 2,702 5,623 9,184 
			 1988 811 2,573 5,914 9,298 
			 1989 776 2,449 5,365 8,590 
			 1990 830 2,424 5,014 8,268 
			 1991 839 2,155 4,435 7,429 
			 1992 864 1,963 3,984 6,811 
			 1993 913 2,001 3,401 6,315 
			 1994 978 1,953 4,037 6,968 
			 1995 889 2,177 4,097 7,163 
			 1996 1,023 2,380 4,911 8,314 
			 1997 967 2,279 4,952 8,198 
			 1998 1,032 2,490 5,031 8,553 
			 1999 1,002 2,387 5019 8,408 
			 2000 990 2,559 5,162 8,711 
			 2001 1,009 2,429 5,308 8,746 
			 2002 1,021 2,498 5,357 8,876 
			 2003 1,100 2,644 5,456 9,200 
			 2004 983 2,591 5,433 9,007 
			  Source: Department of Health 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Total abortions for girls age 16 and under by region, England, 1987( 1) -2004 
			   Northern and Yorkshire  Trent  Anglia and Oxford  North Thames  South Thames  South and West  West Midlands  North West  Total 
			 1987 1,285 1,000 432 1,316 1,247 1,353 1,290 1,261 9,184 
			 1988 1,328 988 402 1,339 1,203 1,360 1,258 1,420 9,298 
			 1989 1,287 972 402 1,261 1,112 1,215 1,169 1,172 8,590 
			 1990 1,258 858 361 1,206 1,058 1,272 1,087 1,168 8,268 
			 1991 1,144 804 299 1,075 944 1,025 1,019 1,119 7,429 
			 1992 1,043 726 252 1,029 901 948 899 1,013 6,811 
			 1993 1,083 756 256 662 870 910 850 928 6,315 
			 1994 1,047 760 516 951 956 835 905 998 6,968 
			 1995 1,043 711 684 1,024 1,021 786 901 993 7,163 
			 1996 1,164 906 752 1,187 1,154 922 1,043 1,186 8,314 
			 1997 1,129 880 752 1,214 1,109 897 1,048 1,169 8,198 
			 1998 1,181 917 805 1,213 1,183 980 1,091 1,183 8,553 
			 1999 1,143 936 839 1,417 1,050 946 1,077 1,000 8,408 
			 2000 1,140 880 929 1,424 1,086 1,039 1,131 1,082 8,711 
			 2001 1,067 859 871 1,544 1,091 1,071 1,192 1,051 8,746 
		
	
	
		
			   North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East of England  London  South East  South West  Total 
			 2002 491 1,264 975 646 1,050 762 1,830 1,169 689 8,876 
			 2003 581 1,306 967 691 1,056 830 1,851 1,192 726 9,200 
			 2004 542 1,328 954 690 1,014 761 1,681 1,286 751 9,007 
			 (1) Prior to 1987 there were boundary changes within regions.  Source: Department of Health. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Livebirths to females under 17 by age, 1985-2005, England and Wales 
			   Age of mother 
			   Under 12  12  13  14  15  16  All under 17 
			 1985 0 2 21 216 1,163 4,431 5,833 
			 1986 0 1 31 190 1,144 4,303 5,669 
			 1987 2 3 20 177 1,103 4,398 5,703 
			 1988 1 3 19 196 1,042 4,494 5,755 
			 1989 0 6 22 180 1,109 4,239 5,556 
			 1990 0 0 16 188 1,102 4,166 5,472 
			 1991 0 2 27 216 1,181 4,140 5,566 
			 1992 0 2 22 200 1,090 3,800 5,114 
			 1993 1 1 26 226 1,149 3,900 5,303 
			 1994 0 6 28 245 1,074 3,651 5,004 
			 1995 1 2 34 248 1,216 4,043 5,544 
			 1996 0 2 32 259 1,331 4,497 6,121 
			 1997 1 3 26 258 1,313 4,500 6,101 
			 1998 0 2 40 245 1,255 4,273 5,815 
			 1999 0 4 35 228 1,204 4,103 5,574 
			 2000 8 5 37 246 1,186 3,825 5,307 
			 2001 8 9 37 241 1,138 3,699 5,132 
			 2002 2 13 46 214 1,076 3,604 4,955 
			 2003 2 7 26 186 1,025 3,621 4,867 
			 2004 1 1 24 183 1,013 3,633 4,855 
			 2005 4 4 15 189 977 3,514 4,703 
			  Source:  Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 6: Livebirths under 16 by Government office region, 1992-2005, England and Wales 
			   Non residents  North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands 
			 1992 0 119 213 166 128 157 
			 1993 0 111 235 173 123 190 
			 1994 0 104 219 137 127 200 
			 1995 2 137 233 191 125 191 
			 1996 1 139 215 170 145 223 
			 1997 1 139 238 195 133 181 
			 1998 2 132 214 197 133 173 
			 1999 0 88 207 198 142 168 
			 2000 1 97 221 183 120 170 
			 2001 0 108 217 143 126 173 
			 2002 0 72 179 159 115 169 
			 2003 0 60 199 147 111 156 
			 2004 1 74 199 139 124 147 
			 2005 0 74 167 146 121 143 
		
	
	
		
			   East  London  South East  South West  Wales  England and Wales 
			 1992 84 161 125 88 73 1,314 
			 1993 99 184 124 86 78 1,403 
			 1994 100 153 130 81 102 1,353 
			 1995 105 181 140 102 94 1,501 
			 1996 106 206 162 116 141 1,624 
			 1997 104 211 164 111 124 1,601 
			 1998 95 211 165 107 113 1,542 
			 1999 115 194 157 103 99 1,471 
			 2000 107 177 182 118 106 1,482 
			 2001 100 201 157 115 93 1,433 
			 2002 99 195 160 106 97 1,351 
			 2003 113 139 158 94 69 1,246 
			 2004 79 151 138 103 67 1,222 
			 2005 86 146 135 84 87 1,189 
			  Source: Office for National Statistics

Child Pregnancies

Robert Key: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many girls under the age of 16 years in Salisbury constituency gave birth in each year since 1995.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about how many girls under 16 years in Salisbury constituency gave birth in each year since 1995. I am replying in her absence. (76984).
	Where constituencies are not co-terminous with local authority boundaries, ONS do not generally release figures based on recording of mother's age at birth registration. This is to protect against disclosure of information provided in confidence. Figures are provided for the relevant local authority instead. There were 14 girls resident in Salisbury county district who gave birth under the age of 16 during the period 1995 to 2005, too few to provide figures by year without breaching confidentiality.

Construction Industry (Registration Cards)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many construction industry services registration cards have been issued in each  (a) year and  (b) quarter since 1 April 2001; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many construction industry services registration (CIS4) cards  (a) have been issued and  (b) are in use; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: There have been 2.4 million construction industry registration cards (CIS4) issued since the scheme began in 1999. Of these 1.9 million have been used.
	Unused cards are attributable to: holders of recently issued cards having not yet been paid within CIS; holders that normally work within the domestic sector having applied for a card in case they become involved in CIS work; and where one or two partners in a company use their cards on behalf of the company (with those of the other partners being unused).
	A quarterly breakdown of the number of CIS4 cards issued since 1 April 2001 is given in the following table. These figures include replacements for cards that have been lost, stolen or have expired (in the case of temporary cards).
	
		
			  Number of CIS 4 cards issued 
			  Quarter  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 April to June 56,000 61,000 63,000 74,000 77,000 
			 July to September 61,000 83,000 73,000 83,000 82,000 
			 October to December 48,000 55,000 63,000 65,000 63,000 
			 January to March 58,000 70,000 78,000 75,000 81,000 
			 Total 223,000 269,000 277,000 297,000 303,000

Construction Industry (Registration Cards)

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what checks are made of  (a) immigration status and  (b) nationality before issuing construction industry services registration cards; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what changes he plans to make to the construction industry services registration card system in 2007; what  (a) identity checks and  (b) immigration status checks will be put in place; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Neither the legislation for the current construction industry scheme (CIS) nor the legislation for the new scheme empowers HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to question the immigration status or nationality of applicants for CIS registration cards. There is also no legal exchange of information gateway to allow such information that might be obtained by HMRC to be passed to the Home Office.
	Under both the current and new schemes, HM Revenue and Customs must be satisfied about the applicants' identity and addresses. They may be required to produce appropriate documentation to evidence their identity, which might include a passport or driving licence. The new CIS scheme will also allow HMRC to require attendance in person to provide such information as satisfies HMRC on an applicant's identity and address.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people over the age of 55 have been recruited into  (a) the Treasury and  (b) his private office in each of the last three years.

John Healey: No staff over the age of 55 have been recruited to the Chancellor's private office in the last three years. The number recruited to the Treasury can be found in the following table:
	
		
			   Department 
			 2003-04 4 
			 2004-05 5 
			 2005-06 4

Exotic Animals (Smuggling)

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been caught attempting illegally to bring exotic  (a) animals and  (b) birds into Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have interpreted exotic birds and animals to be live birds or animals of endangered species.
	Details of seizures made by HMRC from January 1999 to December 2004 as a result of breaches in Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade herein are available on the UK CITES website at http://www.ukcites.gov.uk/news/tradestatistics.htm.
	There have been no seizures of live animals or birds of endangered species in Northern Ireland from outside the EU in the period in question. Travellers arriving at Northern Ireland airports from outside the EU almost exclusively arrive via another airport either in Great Britain or Eire.

Fuel Smuggling (Northern Ireland)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were caught smuggling fuel in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

John Healey: In the last five years the following number of vehicles have been seized in Northern Ireland as a consequence of hydrocarbon oils offences, including smuggling:
	
		
			   Number of vehicles seized 
			 2000 312 
			 2001 684 
			 2002 1,576 
			 2003 901 
			 2004 812

Gaming Machines

Janet Dean: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the freeze on gaming machine stake and prize levels on tax revenues;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effects on tax revenues of an increase of category C and section 34 gaming machine stake and prize levels to 50 pence and £35, respectively.

John Healey: No assessment has been made of the effects of the freeze on gaming machine stake and prize levels on tax revenues. Similarly no assessment has been made of the likely effect for tax revenues of an increase of category C stake and prize levels to 50p and £35, respectively. Decisions on the stake and prize limits which venues can offer are made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport for reasons unconnected to tax.

Male Longevity

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average male longevity was at age 65 in each parliamentary constituency at the last date for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question concerning what the average male longevity at 65 was in each parliamentary constituency at the last date for which figures are available. I am replying in her absence. (77139)
	Figures on life expectancy at different ages are derived from the life tables, calculated using data in both mortality and populations. The figures requested cannot be provided for parliamentary constituencies as population estimates are not available. Results for local authorities in England and Wales can be provided however. A table containing these figures for male life expectancy at age 65 for 2002-04 (the most recent period available) has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  on how many occasions he has met the Paymaster General to discuss tax credits since 1 June 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) the Paymaster General have had on the subject of tax credit fraud since 1 January 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he last met the Paymaster General to discuss tax credits;
	(2)  when he last  (a) received and  (b) sent written correspondence to the Paymaster General regarding tax credits.

John Healey: Treasury Ministers are in constant contact with each other in person, over the telephone and in writing about a wide range of issues, including tax credits.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Endangered Species

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether revised sentencing guidelines have been issued to the judiciary regarding the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There have been no sentencing guidelines issued in relation to these regulations.

HM Prison Belmarsh

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of inmates at HM Prison Belmarsh who report feeling unsafe; what action he is taking to reduce the incidence of such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Regular surveys into issues of prisoner personal safety are undertaken for Standards Audit and violence reduction purposes. The results assist in addressing and improving the quality of life experienced by prisoners. On arrival at Belmarsh, prisoners are advised how to report instances of bullying or feelings of self-harm. In addition information is displayed throughout the prison offering support and setting out what is readily available should support be required.

Human Trafficking

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stage the Government have reached in preparing for  (a) signing and  (b) ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on trafficking.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office is currently assessing whether to sign the Council of Europe Convention. Whilst the UK supports the multiple aims of the Convention there are certain provisions which present concerns and which remain under consideration. The Home Office recently sought views on aspects of the Convention in the consultation paper 'Tackling Human Trafficking-Consultation on Proposals for a UK Action Plan'. In reaching a decision on signature we will take into account the views expressed by respondents. A summary of responses to the consultation will be published shortly.

Illegal Drugs

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been for using illegal drugs on buses in each region in each year since 2001.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Lambert Report

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he  (a) commissioned and  (b) received the report by David Lambert into operational issues arising from the death of Joseph Scholes; what consultation was conducted with the family of the deceased; what the cost was of the report; what its principal conclusions were; what measures have been taken in response to its recommendations; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Gerry Sutcliffe: David Lambert was asked to conduct a review of operational issues arising out of the death of Joseph Scholes. The review was formally commissioned on 21 September 2004. Mr. Lambert began work the following month. He sent his completed report to the Home Office on 12 October 2005. Home Office officials, in consultation with the Youth Justice Board and the Prison Service, have been considering the recommendations in the report, and the action that needs to be taken in response to them. The Government will set out their response, and give details of the action we are taking, in due course. We will also address the issue of disclosure.
	I understand David Lambert offered in August 2005 to discuss with Mrs. Scholes the findings of the review, and repeated the offer the following month, but that Mrs. Scholes did not wish to take up the offer.
	The cost of the report was £10,589.50.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which  (a) Acts and  (b) parts of Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 which remain in force for which his Department has policy responsibility.

Liam Byrne: I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of Acts which received Royal Assent between 1976 and 2006 for which the Home Office had policy responsibility at the time of Royal Assent. Some of these Acts have been amended or repealed in whole or part, so not all of their provisions remain in force. Nor are all of these Acts still within the policy responsibility of the Home Office. It is not however possible to provide a definitive list of the provisions which remain in force and which are within the policy responsibility of the Home Office without incurring disproportionate cost.

Leyhill Open Prison (Absconded Prisoners)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made by the Avon and Somerset constabulary of the volume of crime committed in the Avon and Somerset area since 1999 by prisoners who have absconded from Leyhill Open Prison; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I understand from Avon and Somerset Constabulary that no estimates are available.

Mentally Ill Prisoners

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reoffending rate was for people who were identified as mentally ill while in prison in 2005-06.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is not available.

Miscarriages of Justice

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis the Independent Assessor to the Home Secretary on Miscarriages of Justice makes recommendations for interim payments to claimants; and whether interim payments have been made on compassionate grounds.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Exceptionally, an interim payment of compensation in respect of a miscarriage of justice may be made by the Home Secretary, on the advice of the independent Assessor, before the final amount is determined. The amount of any interim payment will be paid on account and will be deducted from the final award. The Assessor's consideration of whether, and how much, interim payment might be made in a particular case is based on the information available to him about the miscarriage of justice in respect of which compensation is being paid and the consequences which flowed from it, not simply on what the applicant's financial needs are at the time. In very exceptional circumstances interim payments may be made on compassionate grounds depending on the circumstances and provided the payment is within the scope of compensation under the scheme.

Miscarriages of Justice

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what average time was taken for the office of the independent Assessor to the Home Secretary on miscarriages of justice to reply to correspondence in the last period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the standard procedure of the independent Assessor to the Home Secretary on miscarriages of justice is in responding to correspondence from claimants' legal representatives;

John Reid: The independent Assessor for compensation for miscarriages of justice does not generally correspond directly with applicants or their legal representatives. All correspondence is handled by the Miscarriages of Justice Team in the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. They attempt to resolve any apparent discrepancies in the submissions from applicants or their representatives, to ensure that the Assessor has all the information he needs to make an assessment. Claims for compensation can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds and some run into millions. Claims are complex and time consuming and often require investigation by forensic accountants, and, on occasion, high-level legal advice. In many cases an interim award is paid before a final assessment of compensation is made. All correspondence requiring a response should receive an interim or substantive response within the Home Office target of 20 working days. In the circumstances of these applications an interim reply is often unavoidable. Detailed statistics on performance against target for correspondence for this work are not immediately available and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible with performance figures for the last quarter.

Misuse of Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of  (a) the number of people convicted of drugs offences as a result of the Drugs Act 2005 and  (b) how many of them have received a prison sentence.

Vernon Coaker: It is too early to see any impact of the provisions of the Drugs Act 2005 in the annually published conviction data.

Motoring Offences

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 10 most common motoring offences were for which men were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) convicted,  (c) fined and  (d) sent to prison in England and Wales in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by age group.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Available information taken from the Court Proceedings Database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the 10 most common motoring offences for which men were  (a) prosecuted,  (b) convicted,  (c) fined and (d) sent to prison in 2004 (latest available) is given in the following tables.
	Data for 2005 will be available early in 2007.
	
		
			  Ten most common motoring offences for which men aged 21 and over were prosecuted, found guilty, fined and given a custodial sentence, England and Wales, 2004 
			  Rounded 
			  Offence description  Total proceedings 
			 Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks 311,900 
			 Vehicle test offences 251,500 
			 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 213,300 
			 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 156,700 
			 Speed limit offences 134,900 
			 Other insurance offences (excluding fraud and forgery) 96,700 
			 Other miscellaneous motoring offences 91300 
			 Failing to produce driving licence 73,600 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 65,300 
			 Driving while disqualified 43,600 
		
	
	
		
			  Rounded 
			  Offence description  Total findings of guilt 
			 Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks 222,500 
			 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 135,900 
			 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 133,500 
			 Vehicle test offences 130,600 
			 Speed limit offences 112,000 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 62,000 
			 Other miscellaneous motoring offences 59,400 
			 Driving while disqualified 38,700 
			 Failing to produce driving licence 30,800 
			 Other insurance offences (excluding fraud and forgery) 28,300 
		
	
	
		
			  Rounded 
			  Offence description  Total fined 
			 Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks 162,500 
			 Motor vehicle licence - failing to pay appropriate duty 130,800 
			 Speed limit offences 110,300 
			 Driving, or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with licence 75,200 
			 Vehicle test offences 61,100 
			 Other miscellaneous motoring offences 54,800 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 44,300 
			 Other vehicle registration offences (excluding fraud & deception) 18,300 
			 Driving without due care and attention 17,000 
			 Failing to produce driving licence 8,300 
		
	
	
		
			  Rounded 
			  Offence description  Total immediate custody 
			 Driving while disqualified 16,500 
			 Driving with alcohol in the blood above the prescribed limit 3,800 
			 Dangerous driving 2,100 
			 Unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle etc 1,800 
			 Driving and failing to provide specimen for analysis (breath, blood or urine) 900 
			 Causing injury and damage by aggravated vehicle taking 800 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 500 
			 Failing to stop after accident, etc 400 
			 Causing criminal damage of £5,000 or under by aggravated vehicle taking 300 
			 Unfit to drive through drink and drugs (impairment) 200 
			  Note: A person appearing in court can be dealt with for more than one offence at that appearance. The tables show the number of offences dealt with and not the number of persons appearing in court.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints to the Independent Police Complaints Commission have been upheld in each year since its inception; what  (a) response was made and  (b) action was taken by the relevant police force to implement the recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the House Libraries.

Prisoners' Compensation

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1049W to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies), on prisoners' compensation, if he will break down the awards by the prison where the prisoner was being held.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A copy of the table will be placed in the Library.

Prisons

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners under the age of 18 years are in HMP Gloucester; and what plans he has to transfer those individuals to specialist youth institutions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There were no prisoners under the age of 18 held in HMP Gloucester on 8 June 2006.

Prisons

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) maximum,  (b) mean and  (c) median amount of money is held in prisoners' private cash accounts at each prison establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Prostitution

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Prostitution Strategy announced in January 2006 has been implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Implementation of the prostitution strategy is currently under way. This involves working with a range of stakeholders from across Whitehall as well as with non-government organisations and voluntary sector groups.
	Present activity includes:
	Working up the proposed new rehabilitative penalty for the offence of loitering and soliciting.
	Working with police training provider, Centrex, to design a training package for police, with a multi-agency focus, for tackling prostitution in local areas.
	Expansion of the scheme to report "dodgy punters" through a national Crimestoppers campaign (Ugly Mugs scheme).
	Working with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to develop Personal, Social, Health Education guidance for schools—with a focus on prevention and safety.

Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions restraint was used on trainees at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre between July and October 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the four months July-October 2005, trainees at Rainsbrook were restrained on 194 occasions. This figure includes low-level interventions, such as a trainee being led away from a potential incident.

Safety Cameras

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the police in Wiltshire use the LTI 20.20 mobile speed cameras.

Tony McNulty: There are a number of speed meters type approved for police use, including the LTI 20.20. It is for individual police forces to decide which type approved to purchase and use. I understand that the Wiltshire constabulary do use the LTI 20.20.

Security Industry

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings senior officials of the Security Industry Authority have held with officials of the National Security Inspectorate to discuss the implementation of the new approved contractor scheme.

Vernon Coaker: Insight Certification (the parent organisation of the National Security Inspectorate) was one of eight assessing bodies appointed in August 2005 to carry out assessments for the Approved Contractor Scheme. Accordingly there has been regular and frequent contact between the SIA personnel responsible for the ACS and NSI personnel at all levels.

Security Industry

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are in place to ensure that applicants for a security licence from the security industry authority originating from  (a) other EU countries,  (b) sub-Saharan Africa and  (c) South East Asia do not have a criminal record in their country of origin.

Vernon Coaker: The SIA require that all applicants provide a complete five year address history preceding their application. If at any time during the past five years any applicant was abroad for six continuous months or more, they are required to provide an overseas criminality certificate (OCC) from the official competent issuing authority of the country concerned. This policy is uniform in its application and applies to all applicants irrespective of the country concerned.

Security Industry

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what target has been set for processing applications for licences issued by the Security Industry Authority; and what the  (a) mean and  (b) modal period has been for processing applications since its inception.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 18 May 2006
	The SIA do not calculate the mean or modal period processing times for applications. Some, such as those involving overseas criminal records checks, unavoidably take a considerable time. The SIA have a published target of processing 80 per cent. of all applications within six weeks, measured from the date that a properly completed application enters the processing system to the date that a licence is issued. From April 2004 until August 2005 the SIA processed 62 per cent. within six weeks and 88 per cent. within nine weeks. Since September 2005, there has been a backlog of applications that have been waiting to enter the system. These have added an additional time of between two and four weeks to the process, so it is now taking up to 10 weeks to process most applications.

Security Industry

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the ability of the Security Industry Authority to respond to telephone enquiries; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: On average, the SIA call centre handles approximately 1,000 calls a day. During March 2006, average call volumes were four times higher than normal, reaching a peak of 8,000 calls on 20 March 2006. This high level of demand resulted from a late influx of cases.
	To address this high demand, the SIA have increased the number of phone lines, hired more operators, and made their website more user-friendly. For example, the SIA are going to put onto their website an online tracker facility enabling applicants to check the progress of their application and to inform them of the date when they are likely to receive their licence.

Security Industry

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many security personnel at  (a) ports,  (b) harbours and  (c) airports are required to have Security Industry Authority licences by 20 March 2006; and how many have yet to receive such licences.

Vernon Coaker: There are no figures available of the number of personnel working at UK sea ports and harbours who are required to hold a SIA licence, although the Department for Transport (DfT) estimates the number to be relatively small.
	To avoid double licensing, security personnel at UK airports have been exempted from SIA licensing where they are already subject to the DfT's directed personnel security and training regimes. This applies to all contracted security staff working airside at passenger terminals.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Gender Pay Gap

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the effects of occupational segregation in the gender pay gap.

Meg Munn: Occupational segregation has been identified as a significant contributor to the gender pay gap as women are highly concentrated in lower paid jobs or part-time occupations, which tend to be lower paid.
	There is a body of evidence, most recently in "Shaping a Fairer Future", the report of the Women and Work Commission, which indicates that occupational segregation narrows the pool of talent that employers can choose from, which means that not everyone's skills are being utilised to the full. Government are committed to taking action on the recommendations and will issue an action plan later in the year.

Rape Sentences

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she has had with the Solicitor-General about the Sentencing Guidelines Council's recent recommendation that men convicted of rape should receive a lighter sentence if they had been close to their victim before the offence.

Meg Munn: The draft sentencing guidelines on sexual offending were published on 7 June and I will be discussing them with colleagues at the forthcoming inter-ministerial group on sexual offending. I sit on this group in my capacity as Deputy Minister for Women and Equality.

Women (Parliament)

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of progress in more women being  (a) selected and  (b) elected to Parliament.

Meg Munn: In 2002 we introduced the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act allowing positive measures towards women's increased participation. This legislation is having an impact and the numbers are rising particularly in the parties that made use of these measures.
	The Labour Party was able to increase the percentage of women MPs in the last general election by using all-women shortlists to select candidates in its retirement seats.
	By contrast the Liberal Democrat Party and the Conservative Party respectively only selected 32 per cent. and 12 per cent. of women candidates for its 50 most winnable seats.
	Overall, 20 per cent. of MPs are now women compared with 9 per cent. before 1997. Nearly 27.4 per cent. of Labour MPs are now women, while 8.6 per cent. of Conservative MPs and 14.3 per cent. of Liberal Democrat MPs are women.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bus Vouchers (Pensioners)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will provide  (a) petrol and  (b) taxi vouchers to pensioners who live in rural areas which do not have bus services; and if she will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	There are no plans to provide a statutory entitlement to petrol or taxi vouchers for older people. However, local authorities have the discretion to offer concessionary travel schemes which give discounted travel on public transport other than buses, such as taxi vouchers.

Cultural Strategy (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department is providing towards Coventry council's cultural strategy.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 13 June 2006
	Through the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund my Department is supporting projects that contribute towards cultural activities in Coventry. They include:
	'Coventry Fusion': £486,000—Preventative programmes to reduce crime, the fear of crime and antisocial behaviour. The project will deliver activity and diversionary programmes to children and young people.
	'Lady Godiva Half Marathon': £50,000—To continue to establish the half marathon event as a flagship initiative with the aim of promoting exercise in general, particularly in priority neighbourhoods. It will also look to broaden the diversity of participants.
	'One Body, One Life': £300,000—The project delivers a health programme for children, young people and families. The programme will be targeted at 1,000 individuals.
	'Coventry—let's walk': £200,000—The project aims to develop a co-ordinated programme of activities around walks.
	Coventry New Deal for Communities Partnership, is part of the Coventry Partnership and is a priority neighbourhood within the Coventry Partnership.
	The NDC has also funded a number of projects that contribute towards the delivery of the cultural strategy albeit in the NDC area only. These include the provision of additional sport and recreation areas, leisure activities programmes, community music facilities, dance and theatre productions, totalling some £2.6 million in grant aid.
	In addition, general Government support for local services, including cultural activity, is provided through the unhypothecated formula grant. Coventry receives increases in formula grant of 2.4 per cent. in 2006-07 and 4.0 per cent. in 2007-08.

Fires (Schools)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many daytime fires in schools have been reported since 2001.

Angela Smith: The number of daytime fires reported to, and attended by fire and rescue services in England since 2001 is set out as follows:
	
		
			  Number of daytime school fires attended 
			   Number 
			 2000-01 526 
			 2001-02 748 
			 2002-03 682 
			 2003-04 657 
			 2004-05(1) 656 
			 (1) Provisional figures.   Notes: 1. Day time assumed to be 8.30 am—4.00 pm. 2. Figures include weekends and school holidays. 3. Fires were not recorded during the strike periods in November 2002 and January/February 2003.  Source: Fire and Rescue Service FDR1 returns to DCLG

Home Ownership

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people in each electoral ward in the Stroud constituency own their own home.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 15 June 2006:
	The National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales has been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people in each electoral ward in the Stroud constituency own their own home. I am replying in her absence. (77789)
	In the 2001 census information on owner occupancy was collected at the household as opposed to the person level. Therefore, the attached table below shows the number of "owner occupied" households in each ward within Stroud constituency on Census day (29 April 2001), broken down by type of ownership. The figures have been extracted from Table KS18 on the Key Statistics for Output Areas DVD, which is available on request from Census Customer Services (census.customerservices@ons.gov.uk)
	
		
			  Stroud parliamentary constituency number of households : owner occupied 
			  Area  All households  All owner occupied households  Owns outright  Owns with a mortgage or loan  Shared ownership( 1) 
			 Amberley and Woodchester 880 725 401 321 3 
			 Berkeley 1,744 1,259 570 680 9 
			 Bisley 886 753 449 304 0 
			 Cainscross 2,688 2,011 832 1,165 14 
			 Cam East 1,773 1,426 670 742 14 
			 Cam West 1,734 1,268 534 731 3 
			 Central 776 561 280 277 4 
			 Chalford 2,612 2,290 905 1,379 6 
			 Coaley and Uley 911 724 399 325 0 
			 Dursley 2,521 1,713 772 918 23 
			 Eastington and Standish 686 532 244 280 8 
			 Farmhill and Paganhill 971 629 296 329 4 
			 Hardwicke 1,871 1,462 452 1,003 7 
			 Minchinhampton 1,710 1,301 787 514 0 
			 Nailsworth 2,510 1,822 801 1,007 14 
			 Over Stroud 720 626 291 332 3 
			 Painswick 1,852 1,472 959 510 3 
			 Rodborough 1,847 1,614 731 883 0 
			 Severn 1,701 1,325 615 707 3 
			 Slade 935 568 197 371 0 
			 Stonehouse 3,003 2,113 800 1,299 14 
			 The Stanleys 1,719 1,309 616 690 3 
			 Thrupp 894 773 321 446 6 
			 Trinity 927 630 291 330 9 
			 Uplands 926 677 229 445 3 
			 Upton St. Leonards 854 728 398 330 0 
			 Vale 673 523 262 261 0 
			 Valley 930 602 217 378 7 
			 Wotton-under-Edge(2) 2,619 1,947 901 1,041 5 
			 (1)Pays part rent and mortgage. (2) These data relate to the constituency boundary as defined at the end of 2003. The wards have been provided on a best-fit basis to that boundary. Data for the whole of Wooton-under-Edge ward have been provided in this response but the ward is actually split between Stroud and Cotswold Parliamentary Constituencies.  Source: 2007 Census Table KS 18 in Key Statistics for Output Areas

IT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on information technology (IT) sourced from outside her Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years; who is responsible for such projects in her Department; and what IT  (a) expertise and  (b) qualifications they possess.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was created in May 2006 and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002. Expenditure on IT sourced externally over this period is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Expenditure (£) 
			 2002-03 26,748,425 
			 2003-04 20,913,037 
			 2004-05 16,815,471 
			 2005-06 18,108,962 
			  Note: These figures include VAT where appropriate. 
		
	
	Regarding responsibility for IT projects, ODPM introduced dual key sign off in 2005-06, under which IT expenditure is approved jointly by the CIO and the relevant business manager. Prior to this responsibility rested with project Executives (formerly Senior Responsible Owner under Prince2 methodology).
	There is no central record of project Executives, their expertise and qualifications; providing this information could not be achieved without incurring disproportionate cost.

Libraries

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many libraries have been closed in the last two years, broken down by region; and what estimate she has made of the number of libraries that will be closed in 2006.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The table shows the change in the number of static public libraries, grouped into bands by opening hours, over the last three years and, for context, the comparable figures for 1997-98. The same information, by region, can be found in the Public Library Statistics published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
	There have been a number of library closure proposals in recent months. I have written to the leaders of all the 149 library authorities in England asking them to consider carefully what would be lost through closures. Since then a number of the original proposals have either been dropped or scaled down.
	Although some proposals remain it is too early to speculate on their likely outcome. However, my officials continue to monitor the situation closely.
	
		
			  Static libraries in England 
			  Hours open per week 
			   60 plus  45 to 59  30 to 44  10 to 29  <10 
			 1997-98 6 449 1,279 1,323 157 
			 2002-03 42 598 1,168 1,240 91 
			 2003-04 51 683 1,143 1,186 80 
			 2004-05 69 727 1,139 1,106 96

Local Government Finance

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds were distributed to each London borough to increase efficiency in local government in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Funding to support efficiency in local authorities is distributed to nine Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs). Each RCE has its own local governance arrangements for supporting authorities across the region.
	Funding for individual projects, many of which operate across local authority boundaries, are decided by the RCE Board. Specifically, since 2004-05, funding made available to the London RCE in relation to taking forward the Efficiency Agenda is as follows:
	
		
			  Receiving authority  Grant payable (2004-05)  Grant payable (2005-06)  Additional core funding (2005-06)  Workstream specific efficiency support (2005-06) 
			 London Regional Centre of Excellence 1.25 million 1.6 million 50,000 228,366.25 100,000 
		
	
	Individual projects supported by the London RCE are listed at:
	http://www.lcpe.gov.uk/workstreamsexemplars/List_of_Current _Projects.asp
	The Spending Review 2004 set out the expectation that local government (including councils, schools, police and fire authorities) would make at least £6.45 billion efficiency gains by 2007-08. This target is based on the achievement of annual gains equivalent to 2.5 per cent. of 2004-05 baseline expenditure. Local authorities have responded well to this challenge and councils are expecting to deliver £1.9 billion of efficiency gains by end 2005-06 against the target of £l.0 billion.

Private Office Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been paid in  (a) salary,  (b) travelling expenses,  (c) subsistence allowance and  (d) removal expenses to special advisers in his private office in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each payband. For information relating to the last financial year I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, columns 158-61WS. Information on special advisers for this financial year is currently being collected and will be published in the normal way when available.
	This information prior to 2003 is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel by special advisers is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign.

Angela Smith: The Department and its agencies have introduced a number of initiatives which support the Government's Small Change Big Difference Campaign. These are aimed at encouraging staff to make choices which increase physical activity and improve diet.
	The Department provides healthy options in the restaurants and has made available a series of "lunch time walks". Awareness of national campaigns is raised using the Department's intranet and staff are encouraged to participate in annual Sports Days and take exercise at departmental sports clubs.
	As the programme of work develops the Department of Health will be working across all of Government to ensure the programme joins up to promote maximum impact. DH is leading the implementation for this initiative as part of its cross-Government commitment to deliver the public health White Paper "Choosing Health".

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ascension Island

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many guided missiles  (a) have been launched from Ascension Island and  (b) have landed on Ascension Island since 1976 as permitted in article 2 (General Description of Rights), point 1a of the Bahamas Agreement 1956; and on what dates.

Geoff Hoon: No guided missiles have been launched from Ascension Island or landed on Ascension Island since 1976 as permitted in article 2 (General Description of Rights), point 1a of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.

Bahamas Agreement

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payment has been made in each year since 1976 by the United States Administration towards the maintenance of the services listed in article X (public services) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956.

Geoff Hoon: Regular payments by the United States Administration towards the maintenance of the services listed in article X (public services) of the Bahamas Agreement 1956 have only been made since the introduction of a system of taxation in April 2002. Since that time the US has paid contract employee income tax and import duty as follows:
	
		
			  GBP (£) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Income Tax 430,401 496,956 499,641 (1)518,506 
			 Tobacco 0 0 7,023 5,724 
			 Alcohol 27,554 31,114 29,005 (1)26,754 
			 Fuel 0 0 0 0 
			 Property Tax 0 0 0 0 
			 Total 457,955 528,070 535,669 550,984 
			 Grand total 2,072,678 
			 (1) 2005-06 subject to assessment. 
		
	
	Prior to April 2002, contributions were made on an ad hoc basis. These contributions continue in addition to the tax the US pays.

Bonuses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of her staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

Geoff Hoon: The following table sets out the number and value of non-consolidated, non-pensionable bonus payments made to UK-based Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff over the last three years in relation to salary.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Number of staff receiving a bonus 5,863 6,066 6,455 
			 Value of bonus payments (£) 4,027,693 5,514,978 6,019,834 
			 UK-based staff paybill (£) 177,045,646 185,914,353 192,458,797 
			 Bonuses as a percentage of paybill 2.27 2.97 3.13

British Passport Holders

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British passport holders she estimates live abroad, broken down by country.

Kim Howells: I estimate that there are approximately 4,500,000 British passport holders living overseas. The following table provides a breakdown by country.
	
		
			  Passport issuing post  Country  Estimated number of British passport holders 
			 Buenos Aires Argentina 10,600 
			 Canberra Australia 615,500 
			 Vienna Austria 13,600 
			 Baku Azerbaijan 2,900 
			 Bahrain Bahrain 9,700 
			 Dhaka Bangladesh 10,000 
			 Bridgetown Barbados 33,700 
			 Brussels Belgium 44,300 
			 La Paz Bolivia 2,000 
			 Gaborone Botswana 4,600 
			 Rio de Janeiro Brazil 12,300 
			 Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei 5,800 
			 Ottawa Canada 232,600 
			 Santiago Chile 5,600 
			 Beijing China 15,000 
			 Hong Kong China 798,800 
			 Bogota Colombia 4,300 
			 San Jose Costa Rica 7,300 
			 Havana Cuba 700 
			 Nicosia Cyprus 63,800 
			 Prague Czech Republic 6,700 
			 Santo Domingo Dominican Republic 1,600 
			 Quito Ecuador 2,700 
			 Cairo Egypt 14,000 
			 Tallinn Estonia 800 
			 Addis Ababa Ethiopia 1,500 
			 Suva Fiji 1,200 
			 Helsinki Finland 4,300 
			 Paris France 206,200 
			 Banjul Gambia 2,000 
			 Dusseldorf Germany 181,500 
			 Accra Ghana 6,500 
			 Athens Greece 26,900 
			 Georgetown Guyana 1,700 
			 Budapest Hungary 4,600 
			 Reykjavik Iceland 900 
			 New Delhi/Mumbai India 37,700 
			 Tehran Iran 3,000 
			 Dublin Ireland 108,900 
			 Tel Aviv Israel 57,800 
			 Rome Italy 49,000 
			 Jakarta Indonesia 12,000 
			 Kingston Jamaica 23,700 
			 Tokyo Japan 26,500 
			 Amman Jordan 8,300 
			 Nairobi Kenya 40,500 
			 Kuwait Kuwait 7,900 
			 Beirut Lebanon 6,200 
			 Tripoli Libya 3,600 
			 Lilongwe Malawai 9,200 
			 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 18,200 
			 Valletta Malta 8,400 
			 Port Louis Mauritius 8,300 
			 Mexico City Mexico 12,600 
			 Ulaanbaatar Mongolia 300 
			 Rabat Morocco 2,800 
			 Windhoek Namibia 1,400 
			 Kathmandu Nepal 1,600 
			 Amsterdam/Copenhagen Netherlands 78,500 
			 Wellington New Zealand 215,900 
			 Lagos Nigeria 16,000 
			 Oslo Norway 19,200 
			 Muscat Oman 7,600 
			 Islamabad/Karachi Pakistan 35,000 
			 Lima Peru 6,000 
			 Manila Philippines 19,200 
			 Warsaw Poland 5,700 
			 Lisbon Portugal 22,900 
			 Doha Qatar 8,700 
			 Bucharest Romania 2,200 
			 Moscow Russia 6,600 
			 Riyadh/Jeddah Saudi Arabia 24,800 
			 Belgrade Serbia and Montenegro 1,800 
			 Victoria Seychelles 1,700 
			 Freetown Sierra Leone 2,900 
			 Singapore Singapore 51,500 
			 Pretoria South Africa 174,600 
			 Seoul South Korea 3,600 
			 Madrid Spain 195,000 
			 Colombo Sri Lanka 4,800 
			 Stockholm Sweden 18,700 
			 Geneva Switzerland 72,200 
			 Damascus Syria 2,200 
			 Dar Es Salaam Tanzania 6,600 
			 Bangkok Thailand 45,600 
			 Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago 13,400 
			 Tunis Tunisia 1,500 
			 Ankara/Istanbul Turkey 12,600 
			 Abu Dhabi/Dubai UAE 61,500 
			 Kampala Uganda 3,700 
			 Kiev Ukraine 1,100 
			 Washington USA 527,500 
			 Caracas Venezuela 7,200 
			 Hanoi Vietnam 4,000 
			 Sana'a Yemen 1,900 
			 Lusaka Zambia 7,900 
			 Harare Zimbabwe 25,100 
			 Total  4,521,000

Canada

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Canadian counterpart on  (a) the threats posed by home grown terrorists and  (b) how such threats can best be countered.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 8 June 2006
	My right. hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not yet had the opportunity to discuss counter terrorism issues with her Canadian counterpart. My right. hon. Friend the then Home Secretary discussed counter terrorism issues with Stockwell Day, Canadian Minister for Public Safety, on 27 March 2006.
	This is also an area on which we have frequent contacts at official level.

Departmental Property

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many properties the Department owns in the UK; and where they are located.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office owns three freehold properties in the UK. These are:
	Old Public Offices, King Charles Street, London, SW1A 2AH
	Old Admiralty Building, London, SW1A 2PA
	Hanslope Park, Milton Keynes, MK19 7HR

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of her staff are  (a) under and  (b) over 55 years of age.

Geoff Hoon: On 1 June 2006 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had 6,166 staff. Of these, 5,396 were aged between 17 and 54 years and 770 are aged 55 years or over. These figures are for UK civil servants only and exclude staff engaged locally at FCO Posts overseas for which details are not held centrally.

Departmental Training

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from her Department were sent on courses run by the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre in each year since 1997; for what purpose; and at what cost.

Kim Howells: The information requested is not held centrally. To obtain this information officials would need to contact all members of staff, or their departments past and present and this would incur disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the risk of terrorist activity by Methodist preachers who are United States citizens before adjudication following requests for entry clearance to the United Kingdom for the purpose of vocational religious education; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: All entry clearance applications worldwide are checked against a warnings index which contains the details of individuals identified as posing a threat to the security of the United Kingdom. For security reasons, I am unable to give details of which individuals or groups may be on this index.
	We are, however, concerned to ensure that legitimate entry clearance applications for legitimate vocational religious education should not be unreasonably impeded and there will be further consideration of the issues with the Home Office.

UK Mission (Bugging)

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made by the Belgian authorities in identifying who bugged the UK mission in the Justus Lipsius Council of Ministers building in 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Belgian authorities are continuing their investigations. No results are yet available. We, and the other member states concerned, have co-operated fully with the Belgian authorities.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Northern Way

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what role her Department plays in the delivery of the Northern Way initiative, with particular reference to tackling social exclusion in Northern England.

Hilary Armstrong: The delivery of the Northern Way initiative is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office will support the Department for Communities and Local Government in delivering their agenda around social exclusion. In addition, my role is to build on the achievements of the Government to date and spearhead a renewed drive to address the most socially excluded in our society. This will include chairing the new Cabinet Committee on Social Exclusion and publishing an Action Plan in the autumn setting out how we will reach the most excluded. The immediate priority will be to focus on the following:
	improving the early identification of the most at-risk households, individuals and children; children in care; teenage pregnancy; mental illness; and supporting ongoing work by the Respect Unit.
	We are also producing a 10 year review of the long-term trends and drivers of social exclusion and the systemic reform needed to address them.

Public Sector Information

Don Foster: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment she has made of the  (a) effectiveness,  (b) audience share and  (c) number of viewers of public information programmes produced by the Central Office of Information being screened in the early hours of the morning.

Patrick McFadden: The Central Office of Information (COI) captures data on transmission numbers and estimated airtime value by film and by sponsoring department. Public information films are also assessed as part of wider research on multi media campaigns. COI records an estimated viewing level figure for each transmission of a film, based on the average number of viewers of the station in question across a particular section of the schedule (daypart). Dayparts are broken down as shown in the table.
	
		
			  Time  Daypart 
			 06:00-09:29 Breakfast 
			 09:30-11:59 Morning 
			 12:00-17.14 Afternoon 
			 17:15-23:59 Evening 
			 24:00-05:59 Night-time

Sir Alistair Graham

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what public appointments have been held by Sir Alistair Graham since May 1997; and what his total remuneration was for each position in that period.

Hilary Armstrong: Information regarding the public appointments held Sir Alistair Graham since May 1997 and remuneration details are in the following table. The information relates to those bodies referred to in the annual Cabinet Office publication 'Public Bodies'.
	
		
			  Body  Position  Dates in post  Remuneration 
			 Appeals Panel for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, Learning and Skills Council Northern Chairman 10 March 2002 to date £600 per appeal hearing Chaired 
			 
			 British Transport Police Authority Chairman 1 July 2004 to date 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005 - £25,000 pa 
			1 July 2005 to date - £25,800 pa 
			 
			 British Transport Police Committee (as Chairman Designate of BTPA) Member 2 February 2004 to 30 June 2004 £5,000 pa 
			 
			 Committee on Standards in Public Life Chairman 26 April 2004 to date 26 April 2005 to 5 May 2005 - £380 per day 
			6 May 2005 to date - £440 per day 
			 
			 Committee on Standards in Public Life Member 1 October 2003 to 25 April 2004 £180 per day 
			 
			 Employment Appeals Tribunal Member 1 April 2003 to date 2003-04 - £261 per day 
			2004-05 - £268 per day 
			2005-06 - £276 per day 
			2006-07 - £279 per day 
			 
			 NHS Appointments Commission Regional Commissioner 1 November 2003 to 30 April 2004 £22,711 pa 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Chairman 27 March 1997 to 28 February 2000 27 March 1997 to 18 February 1999 - £30,000 pa 
			19 February 1999 to 28 February 2000 - £31,500 pa(1) 
			 
			 Police Complaints Authority Chairman 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2004 2000-01 - £81, 303 pa 
			2001-02 - £83,742 pa 
			2002-03(2) - £50,245 pa 
			2003-04 - £50,245 pa 
			 
			 West Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority Chairman 1 April 2002 to 31 October 2003 2002-03 - £20,420 pa 
			2003-04 - £20,930 pa 
			 (1 )Sir Alistair continued to receive his salary from Leeds Training and Enterprise Council and did not receive any additional remuneration for his Parades Commission Role. All remuneration in respect of this appointment was paid to Sir Alistair's employer—Leeds Training and Enterprise Council). (2) From full-time in 2001-02 to 3 days a week in 2002-03 and 2003-04.

SCOTLAND

Air Miles

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1335W, on air miles, what factors he took into account when deciding not to keep a record of free air miles accrued by senior civil service servants in his Department on official business; and if he will keep such a record.

David Cairns: The retention of a record of air miles is not considered necessary for the effective management of the travel and subsistence regime in the Scotland Office or for the proper financial monitoring and control of budgets for this expenditure.

Black/Asian Employees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many  (a) black and Asian and  (b) other people are employed in his Department's press office.

David Cairns: The overall number of staff in the Scotland Office's press office was published in our Annual Report for 2006. Information on ethnicity is collected on a voluntary basis but, in view of the small number of staff involved, this information is not published.

Bonuses

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

David Cairns: The following table shows the number, cost and percentage of paybill of the non-pensionable bonuses awarded by the Scotland Office:
	
		
			  Payment year  Total number of bonuses  Total cost of bonuses (£)  Percentage of total paybill 
			 2003-04 6 2,800 0.11 
			 2004-05 3 1,400 0.06 
			 2005-06 8 3,750 0.20

Departmental Expenditure

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from his Department in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The top 10 non-public sector entities that have received the largest total sum of payments from the Scotland Office and the Advocate General for Scotland are as follows:
	 2001-02
	Chesterton
	Faulds Advertising
	Carlson Wagonlit
	Group 4
	Amey
	TMP Worldwide
	Covent Gardens Bureau
	ATIS REAL Weatheralls
	Select
	Charlton Chauffer Drive
	 2002-03
	Carlson Wagonlit
	ATIS REAL Weatheralls
	Faulds Advertising
	Amey
	Group 4
	Whitespace
	Littles Chauffer Drive
	Chesterton
	Verbatim Reporters
	Adecco
	 2003-04
	Carlson Wagonlit
	Amey
	Mckibben
	Group 4
	ATIS REAL Weatheralls
	Whitespace
	Kilby & Gayford
	Traditional Cleaning
	Royal Mail
	Serco
	 2004-05
	Carlson Wagonlit
	Mckibben
	Amey
	Group 4
	Flexiform
	Whitespace
	Pressdata Bureau
	Serco
	NRG Group
	Pertemps
	 2005-06
	Carlson Wagonlit
	Mckibben
	Group 4
	Amey
	SRS Telecom
	TSO
	Pertemps
	Kelly Services
	Serco
	OEP

Economic Trends

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on recent economic trends in Scotland.

David Cairns: The macroeconomic stability and labour market policies put in place by this Government continue to benefit all of the UK, including Scotland. Scottish employment and economic activity have increased to their highest levels since records began in 1992, unemployment is lower than it has been for a generation and Scottish economic growth in 2005—at 1.8 per cent.—was on trend and equal to that of the UK. All business surveys are reporting a strong performance in the year to date and principal independent economic forecasters predict the Scottish economy will continue to grow at around or above trend in both 2006 and 2007.

Gaming Machine Stakes

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact on  (a) seaside economies and  (b) public houses in Scotland of the freeze on gaming machine stake and prize levels.

David Cairns: There is no policy to freeze stake and prize limits. The Government announced in October 2004 that our policy has been to increase the maximum stake for amusement with prizes (AWP) machines from 30p to 50p, and for jackpot machines in bingo halls from 50p to £1. This would be on full implementation of the Gambling Act in September 2007.

Inward Investment

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what efforts his Department is making to attract Japanese investment into  (a) Scotland and  (b) Glasgow; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: My hon. Friend will be aware that inward investment promotion for Scotland is a shared responsibility between the Scottish Executive and the Department for Trade and Industry.

Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006,  Official Report, column 994W, on ministerial visits (accommodation), what factors he took into account when deciding not to keep a record of overnight accommodation arrangements or costs; and if he will keep such a record.

David Cairns: The maintenance of a record of the star rating of the hotels used, or the countries visited, by staff in the Scotland Office is not considered necessary for the effective management of the travel and subsistence regime in the Office or for the proper financial monitoring and control of budgets for this expenditure.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he classifies  (a) al-Qaeda operatives based within Afghanistan,  (b) al-Qaeda operatives based outside Afghanistan,  (c) Taliban forces based within Afghanistan and  (d) Taliban forces based outside Afghanistan as (i) insurgents and (ii) terrorists for the purposes of possible engagement by UK forces based in Helmand Province.

Des Browne: holding answer 8 June 2006
	No such classification is required for the purposes of possible engagement by UK forces in Helmand of the various armed groups operating in the province, which may have criminal, tribal or other (including Taliban or, in some cases, al-Qaeda) allegiances.

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the mission of the  (a) UK troops and  (b) other coalition troops in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Des Browne: UK forces, along with coalition partners, are deployed in Helmand province to form part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expansion into southern Afghanistan. ISAF will work to build security and Government institutions, and to support the Afghan Security Forces in combating insurgents and illegally armed groups. Coalition troops operating under the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom are primarily tasked with conducting counter terrorism missions.

Air Sampling Missions

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department holds of air sampling missions to measure emissions from foreign nuclear weapons testing carried out before 1980 by  (a) the Strategic Reconnaissance Force and  (b) other units of the Royal Air Force.

Des Browne: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory holds historical records relating to the health and safety of crew who carried out foreign nuclear weapons testing air sampling work and the routine radioactive contamination monitoring of high flying aircraft prior to 1980. The information in the records primarily relates to monitoring procedures, and aircraft surface contamination monitoring results.

Armed Forces Pay Review

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2514W, on the armed forces pay review, what the  (a) current manpower requirement and  (b) manning level is as an absolute figure in each of the operational pinch points listed.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the information requested as its release would, or would be likely to prejudice the effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Body Armour

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training is given to members of the UK armed forces in the use of body armour.

Adam Ingram: Body armour is a passive system and therefore training in its use consists of advice on putting it on, adjusting it to fit and maintenance.
	Body armour is worn in operational environments and certain training exercises —for example, live firing. In each situation all personnel are advised on how and when it should be worn.

Defence Intelligence Staff

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) permanent staff, (b) contractors,  (c) reservists and  (d) other staff were employed by the Defence Intelligence Staff in each year since 1997; and what the service breakdown was in each of those years.

Adam Ingram: Defence Intelligence Staff manpower figures for 1997 onwards are shown as follows. Data for contractors are not captured and reservist data are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Civilian/service strengths: Chief of Defence Intelligence 
			All services 
			  April  Civilian permanent staff (FTE)  Officers  Other ranks  Total 
			 1997 1,600 400 2,300 2,700 
			 1998 1,600 400 2,300 2,700 
			 1999 1,500 400 2,200 2,600 
			 2000 1,500 400 2,300 2,700 
			 2001 1,400 400 2,000 2,400 
			 2002 1,400 400 2,000 2,400 
			 2003 1,500 400 2,100 2,500 
			 2004 1,600 400 2,200 2,600 
			 2005 1,600 400 2,200 2,600 
			 2006 1,600 (1)400 (1)2,200 (1)2,600 
			 (1) Service personnel figures for 2006 are provisional.  Notes: 1. Full-time equivalence counts part-time staff by the number of hours they work as a proportion of their full-time conditioned hours. 2. Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. UK Regular Forces includes nursing services, but excludes Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists. 
		
	
	There are 20 or fewer civilian casual staff employed in each year.
	The breakdown of Service personnel numbers is only available from 2001.
	
		
			  Number of UK Regular Forces( 1)  employed by Chief of Defence Intelligence since 2001, broken down by Service 
			   Royal Navy  Army  Royal Air Force 
			 2001(2) 200 1,200 900 
			 2002(2) 200 1,200 1,000 
			 2003(2) 200 1,200 1,000 
			 2004(2) 300 1,200 1,200 
			 2005 300 1,100 1,200 
			 2006 300 (3)1,100 (3)1,200 
			 (1) UK Regular Forces includes Nursing services, but excludes Full Time Reserve Service personnel, Gurkhas, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reservists and Naval Activated Reservists. (2) All figures for 2001 to 2004 are estimates. (3) Figures for Army and RAF at April 2006 are provisional.

EU INSPIRE Directive

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for the UK's national security of the EU INSPIRE directive; and whether his Department has made representations to the European Commission on this matter.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence has been fully involved in scrutinising the evolving INSPIRE directive for any possible impact on defence and national security. The INSPIRE text adopted as the Common Position on 23 January 2006, was acceptable in this respect. We will, however, maintain our scrutiny in relation to any proposed amendments to the Common Position emerging from the ongoing European parliamentary process.
	As the lead Department within Government, DEFRA officials have met with the European Commission on a number of occasions to discuss a wide range of issues, including the British Government's clear and well-known position that INSPIRE should not jeopardise national security, defence and international relations.

European Anti-missile Site

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans NATO has to install an anti-missile site in Europe; what discussions he has had on this matter with  (a) the USA,  (b) Poland and  (c) the Czech Republic; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: NATO is currently examining the implications of a feasibility study into ballistic missile defence for alliance territories and population centres and as yet no plans have been developed or approved. I have not discussed the implications of the study with my counterparts in the USA, Poland or the Czech Republic.

Intelligence Corps

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 19 April 2006,  Official Report, column 674W, on military intelligence, if he will make a statement on the work of the Intelligence Corps.

Des Browne: The Intelligence Corps continues its important work worldwide in providing intelligence and security support to operational commanders throughout the land forces environment at all levels of formation command. It also provides significant resources for defence intelligence and special forces requirements.

Iraq

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1183, on Iraq, what the minimum standard is for body armour on land vehicles used by British troops in Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 5 June 2006
	Enhanced Combat Body Armour is currently the minimum standard for British troops operating in vehicles in Iraq. However, two other body armour sets are available in theatre, for use according to the commander's assessment of the nature of the task and the current threat. Enhanced Personal Protective Equipment (known as Kestrel) is used by the drivers of fighting vehicles and by Top Cover Sentries. We are in the process of raising the minimum standard of protection above that provided by Enhanced Combat Body Armour, through the delivery of Improved Performance Body Armour (known as Osprey).

Iraq

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has established a link between the loss of the Lynx helicopter over Basra in May and missile technology supplied by Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 14 June 2006
	The circumstances surrounding the loss of the Lynx helicopter in Basra on 6 May 2006 are currently being investigated by a Board of Inquiry. Once the Board of Inquiry has completed its investigation, a summary of the findings will be placed in the Library.

Iraqi Authority (Arms)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to his Departmental Minute of 15 December 2004, on the gifting of military arms and equipment to the Iraqi interim authority in relation to the 5,666 9mm pistols, what was their  (a) cost,  (b) model and manufacturer,  (c) date of dispatch from the UK and delivery in Iraq,  (d) condition,  (e) status in relation to arms export controls and  (f) country of origin; what UK companies were involved in procurement or transhipment; whether each weapon carried a serial number; and whether he has received any reports of the diversion of these weapons for illicit purposes.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 18 April 2006
	The Iraqi Security Forces were equipped with 5,666 x 9mm pistols and ammunition at a total cost of £1,292,878 as part of the Project OSIRIS security sector reform project, initiated by the Prime Minister in 2004.
	Of these weapons, 2,822 pistols were model 92Fs manufactured by Beretta S.P.A., of Italy. They were procured by the Defence Procurement Agency's Dismounted Close Combat Integrated Project Team. The shipment was received at Heathrow, from Italy, on 24 February 2005. They were then moved to the Ministry of Defence Base Ordnance Depot in Donnington, Shropshire, for inspection before being despatched to Basra, where they arrived on 27 February 2005.
	The remaining 2,844 pistols were manufactured by a company whose identity is being withheld. They were imported by a second, separate company—whose name is similarly being withheld—on 18 February 2005, and despatched to Iraq on 23 February 2005. Provision of further detail would be regarded by those concerned as a breach of confidence.
	The weapons supplied in both shipments were new, not refurbished. Since it is illegal for an arms manufacturer to produce weapons without details stamped or etched upon them, all the pistols complied fully with international standards, bearing recorded serial numbers.
	Each shipment was considered under the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The weapons were legally gifted to the Government of Iraq. Parliament approved the gifting in principle on 15 December 2004.
	As I have sought to make clear in earlier answers on the subject, we have received no evidence of any of these weapons being diverted for illicit purposes.

Prisoners

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many prisoners have been transferred from the custody of UK forces to that of the US in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each quarter since 1 January 2002;
	(2)  what his policy is regarding the  (a) exchange and  (b) handing over of prisoners held by UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to the custody of US forces in those countries; and to what extent his policy has changed in the last year;

Des Browne: holding answer 25 May 2006
	In Iraq, following the end of hostilities and the completion of the UK's prisoner release programme in April 2003, a total of 358 prisoners taken into custody by the UK were transferred to US custody at Camp Bucca. With the opening of the UK's Divisional Temporary Detention Facility in December 2003, our records show that they (along with further individuals transferred into US custody in the interim), were either released, or transferred back to UK custody. During 2003, a further six individuals were transferred to US custody in different circumstances. Four individuals, who have since been released, were transferred to US custody and held at Abu Ghraib. Two individuals classified as High Value Targets were taken into custody by the UK and subsequently transferred to US custody. They were subsequently transferred to the jurisdiction of the Iraq Special tribunal, although they remain in US physical custody.
	Since December 2003, a further 13 security internees, have been transferred from UK to US custody at various times. All have since been released. Our policy on the transfer of detainees to US custody is to consider each case on its merits taking into account the operational circumstances and appropriate safeguards on their treatment. This policy has not changed over the last year.
	In Afghanistan, UK forces operate in accordance with NATO's policy on detention for the International Security Assistance Force, which is either to transfer detainees to Afghan custody as soon as practicable or, if appropriate, to release them. I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 24 January 2006,  Official Report, column 1982, to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram), in which he stated that the UK does not plan to transfer individuals detained in Afghanistan into the custody of US forces. This policy has not changed over the previous year.

Private Military Companies

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on private military companies guarding British bases abroad  (a) in total,  (b) in Iraq and  (c) in Afghanistan in the last year for which figures are available.

Des Browne: The Ministry of Defence does not contract any private military companies or private security companies, and we do not monitor those employed by third parties except for purposes of deconfliction within the UK area of operations.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Business Education Partnerships

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes have occurred in the level of funding for Business Education Partnerships since the inception of the Learning and Skills Council.

Jim Knight: We do not fund Education Business Partnerships nationally. However, through the LSC, we annually provide £25 million to support the local delivery of school business links activity. Mark Haysom, chief executive of the LSC has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 May 2006
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding Business Education Partnerships (EBPs).
	Firstly, I will answer your question about the future role of EBPs.
	EBPs are independent providers. The ways in which they carry out their role now and in the future is a matter for those partnerships themselves. The LSC values the work of the EBPs, evidenced by the significant sums of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding which they receive.
	There is a huge challenge ahead of us in implementing the Government's 14-19 agenda. This agenda requires high levels of partnerships and collaboration between business, schools and colleges so that all young people are better prepared for the world of work.
	A particular challenge is to make sure every young person has access to the new specialised diplomas which are being developed. This challenge is not just to the education service, but also to business and employers to engage and to contribute to what young people learn and experience during their time at school and college. The future funding and organisational arrangements must reflect this changing agenda. For example, the Government have given a significant increase in funds this financial year for enterprise and the development of the vocational curriculum—these funds have been targeted at schools, and not providers. It is for the schools themselves to determine which providers can best meet the individual needs of their pupils in the light of the school's circumstances. I have no doubt that the best providers will continue to deliver high quality provision.
	For our part, we are looking at the whole delivery of education business link activity in the context of the developing 14-19 and skills agendas. We plan to consult on our conclusions in the near future.
	Clearly, the LSC will need to ensure that its funds and partnership activity can make the maximum impact in delivering the Government's agenda for young people. My colleagues and I plan to discuss further with the national EBP network how the EBPs and the LSC can best work together to achieve this impact.
	Regarding your Parliamentary Question about the levels of funding for EBPs since the inception of the LSC. EBPs, alongside other independent providers like Trident and Young Enterprise, receive income from a range of sources, including a substantial share of the LSC's education business link funding.
	The LSC receives £25 million from the DfES for education business link activity. This amount has remained the same since the LSC took over the funding of this activity in 2001. As you will see from the figures below, from 2001-2006 the LSC has supplemented this resource with specific LSC funds. The actual amounts allocated for education business link activity by the LSC are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 28,600,000 
			 2002-03 32,312,085 
			 2003-04 35,320,415 
			 2004-05 36,133,797 
			 2005-06 (1)31,075,965 
			 (1)Provisional outturn, subject to audit review 
		
	
	The LSC values the work of EBPs which have strong partnerships in support of the curriculum offer to young people in schools and colleges.

Business Education Partnerships

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the future role for Business Education Partnerships is in developing links with  (a) business,  (b) the wider community and  (c) schools.

Jim Knight: Business involvement with schools is essential to our education reforms, especially at 14 to 19. Education Business Partnerships, and other intermediary bodies, facilitate support for schools from an estimated 300,000 employers.
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) are currently reviewing the delivery structure for Education Business Link activities. Therefore, Mark Haysom, chief executive of the LSC has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 May 2006:
	I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Questions regarding Business Education Partnerships (EBPs).
	Firstly, I will answer your question about the future role of EBP's.
	EBPs are independent providers. The ways in which they carry out their role now and in the future is a matter for those partnerships themselves. The LSC values the work of the EBPs, evidenced by the significant sums of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding which they receive.
	There is a huge challenge ahead of us in implementing the Government's 14-19 agenda. This agenda requires high levels of partnerships and collaboration between business, schools and colleges so that all young people are better prepared for the world of work.
	A particular challenge is to make sure every young person has access to the new specialised diplomas which are being developed. This challenge is not just to the education service, but also to business and employers to engage and to contribute to what young people learn and experience during their time at school and college.
	The future funding and organisational arrangements must reflect this changing agenda. For example, the Government has given a significant increase in funds this financial year for enterprise and the development of the vocational curriculum - these funds have been targeted at schools, and not providers. It is for the schools themselves to determine which providers can best meet the individual needs of their pupils in the light of the school's circumstances. I have no doubt that the best providers will continue to deliver high quality provision.
	For our part, we are looking at the whole delivery of education business link activity in the context of the developing 14-19 and skills agendas. We plan to consult on our conclusions in the near future.
	Clearly, the LSC will need to ensure that its funds and partnership activity can make the maximum impact in delivering the Government's agenda for young people. My colleagues and I plan to discuss further with the National EBP Network how the EBPs and the LSC can best work together to achieve this impact.
	Regarding your Parliamentary Question about the levels of funding for EBPs since the inception of the LSC. EBPs, alongside other independent providers like Trident and Young Enterprise, receive income from a range of sources, including a substantial share of the LSC's education business link funding.
	The LSC receives £25m from the DfES for education business link activity. This amount has remained the same since the LSC took over the funding of this activity in 2001. As you will see from the figures below, from 2001-2006 the LSC has supplemented this resource with specific LSC funds. The actual amounts allocated for education business link activity by the LSC are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2001-02 28,600,000 
			 2002-03 32,312,085 
			 2003-04 35,320,415 
			 2004-05 36,133,797 
			 2005-06 (1)31,075,965 
			 (1 )Provisional outturn, subject to audit review 
		
	
	The LSC values the work of EBPs which have strong partnerships in support of the curriculum offer to young people in schools and colleges.
	Trust this is helpful.

Class Sizes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary school students were in classes containing more than 30 pupils in  (a) Torbay and  (b) England in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The requested information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools: class sizes( 1,2) . As at January 2006 (Provisional). 
			   Classes taught by one teacher 
			   Classes with 1 to 30 pupils  Classes with 31 or more pupils  All classes 
			   Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils  Number of pupils  Percentage of pupils 
			 England 2,746,070 88.6 351,960 11.4 3,098,030 100.0 
			 Torbay local authority area 7,960 93.3 570 6.7 8,530 100.0 
			 (1) Classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed.   Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.  Source: Schools Census

Free School Meals

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of schoolchildren were  (a) eligible for and  (b) receiving free school meals in Torbay in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The available information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools( 1) : school meal arrangements. January 1999-2006 (provisional). Torbay local authority area( 2) 
			   Maintained nursery and primary 
			   Number on roll( 3)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1999 10,254 1,944 19.0 2,368 23.1 
			 2000 10,288 1,814 17.6 2,255 21.9 
			 2001 10,328 1,505 14.6 1,999 19.4 
			 2002 10,399 1,536 14.8 1,932 18.6 
			 2003 10,325 1,473 14.3 1,846 17.9 
			 2004 10,306 1,523 14.8 1,958 19.0 
			 2005 10,128 1,443 14.2 1,799 17.8 
			 2006(4) 9,836 1,312 13.3 1,625 16.5 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			   Number on roll( 3)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  Percentage taking free school meals  Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
			 1999 8,467 1,023 12.1 1,371 16.2 
			 2000 8,552 1,008 11.8 1,285 15.0 
			 2001 8,708 875 10.0 1,210 13.9 
			 2002 8,863 849 9.6 1,265 14.3 
			 2003 9,024 933 10.3 1,250 13.9 
			 2004 9,211 951 10.3 1.268 13.8 
			 2005 9,183 850 9.3 1,235 13.4 
			 2006(4) 9,237 792 8.6 1,152 12.5 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (2) Torbay local authority came into effect in April 1998 as a result of local government reorganisation, therefore there is no data available prior to this. (3) Prior to 2003 'number on roll' includes all full-time and part-time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003. (4) Provisional.  Source: Schools Census

Government Grants

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government grant per pupil in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary education in (i) Torbay and (ii) England was in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: From 1997-98 to 2005-06 the majority of school funding was provided through the local government finance settlement. The following tables set out the funding provided through the settlement and the grants paid per pupil in each year:
	
		
			  Funding per pupil, Torbay 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC from 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			   3 to 10-year olds  11 to 15-year-olds 
			   SSA/EFS per pupil (£ million)  Grants per pupil (£ million)  Funding per pupil (£)  SSA/EFS per pupil (£ million)  Grants per pupil (£ million)  Funding per pupil (£) 
			 1997-98 2,310.0 140.0 2,450 3,160.0 40.0 3,200 
			 1998-99 2,370.0 100.0 2,470 3,220.0 20.0 3,240 
			 1999-2000 2,450.0 140.0 2,590 3,290.0 70.0 3,360 
			 2000-01 2,470.0 330.0 2,800 3,410.0 200.0 3,610 
			 2001-02 2,550.0 380.0 2,920 3,450.0 300.0 3,750 
			 2002-03 2,540.0 410.0 2,950 3,480.0 380.0 3,850 
			 2003-04 2,810.0 290.0 3,100 3,450.0 440.0 3,900 
			 2004-05 2,880.0 320.0 3,190 3,590.0 470.0 4,070 
			 2005-06 3,020.0 350.0 3,370 3,690.0 530.0 4,220 
		
	
	
		
			  Funding per pupil, England 1997-98 to 2005-06 
			   Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC from 2003-04 to 2005-06 
			   3 to 10-year-olds  11 to 15-year-olds 
			   SSA/EFS per pupil (£ million)  Grants per pupil (£ million)  Funding per pupil (£)  SSA/EFS per pupil (£ million)  Grants per pupil (£ million)  Funding per pupil (£) 
			 1997-98 2,250.0 170.0 2,420 3,270.0 30.0 3,300 
			 1998-99 2,430.0 80.0 2,510 3,340.0 40.0 3,380 
			 1999-2000 2,530.0 150.0 2,680 3,400.0 110.0 3,510 
			 2000-01 2,580.0 330.0 2,910 3,520.0 280.0 3,800 
			 2001-02 2,640.0 440.0 3,080 3,580,0 420.0 4,000 
			 2002-03 2,690.0 460.0 3,160 3,640.0 450.0 4,090 
			 2003-04 2,990 0 370.0 3,360 3,630.0 540.0 4,180 
			 2004-05 3,090.0 400.0 3,490 3,790.0 580.0 4,370 
			 2005-06 3.250.0 420.0 3,670 3,910.0 620.0 4,530 
			  Notes: 1. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 2. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 10 and 11 to 15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 3. 1997-98 figures for authorities subject to local government reorganisation in that year have been estimated, pro-rata to their post LGR figures. 4. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of standard spending assessment/education formula spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS. 5. 2003-04 to 2005-06 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited. 6. Real terms at 2004-05 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23 December 2005. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Higher Education

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many undergraduate students aged  (a) 21 to 25 years and  (b) over 25 years were enrolled on courses in each higher education institution in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.

Bill Rammell: The latest figures are shown in the following table. Figures for the 2005/06 academic year will become available at the beginning of 2007.
	
		
			  UK-domiciled undergraduates at each English institution by academic year and age group 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05 
			  Institution  Under 21  21-25  Over 25  Under 21  21-25  Over 25  Under 21  21-25  Over 25 
			 Open University 3,990 15,330 122,120 5,000 17,485 128,105 5,445 18,415 130,800 
			 Cranfield University 295 125 60 225 85 45 115 55 30 
			 Royal College of Art 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal College of Nursing 0 35 510 0 40 490 (1)— 55 585 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 475 255 160 505 120 200 545 140 280 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 2,980 2,160 3,140 2,745 2,130 2,920 2,640 2,140 2,925 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 205 140 40 240 140 45 265 140 35 
			 University of Chester 3,545 1,585 3,295 3,485 1,755 4,175 3,690 1,835 4,350 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University 3,040 1,495 5,030 3,105 1,790 5,805 3,175 1,900 6,080 
			 York St. John College 2,195 875 1,730 2,150 885 1,465 2,245 975 1,590 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 985 580 1,305 1,010 670 1,940 980 570 745 
			 Dartington College of Arts 190 110 65 225 125 55 265 125 50 
			 Edge Hill College of HE 2,880 1,375 3,905 3,075 1,545 4,495 3,505 1,765 4,910 
			 University College Falmouth 675 450 225 785 505 225 885 550 205 
			 Harper Adams University College 750 480 95 750 475 85 775 480 320 
			 Homerton College 160 305 1,525 180 365 1,820 190 385 2,165 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 840 500 230 895 475 210 980 525 185 
			 University of Winchester 2,180 835 1,415 2,140 880 1,325 2,075 835 1,155 
			 Liverpool Hope University 2,480 1,360 1,425 2,330 1,455 1,685 2,345 1,365 1,650 
			 University of the Arts, London 2,905 2,540 1,330 2,985 2,715 1,295 3,300 2,725 1,330 
			 University of Luton 2,035 2,060 3,460 1,875 1,930 3,930 1,865 1,805 3,930 
			 University of Northampton 4,030 2,115 3,190 3,900 2,145 3,340 3,485 2,080 2,995 
			 Newman College of Higher Education 755 390 635 730 385 725 695 465 840 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 380 250 100 455 275 85 525 310 90 
			 Roehampton University 2,785 1,445 1,625 2,925 1,370 1,525 3,160 1,425 1,350 
			 Rose Bruford College 340 135 250 335 135 135 335 145 235 
			 Royal Academy of Music 140 70 5 165 65 5 150 70 (1)— 
			 Royal College of Music 185 85 (1)— 175 90 5 150 75 5 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 255 120 (1)— 240 115 (1)— 225 115 (1)— 
			 Southampton Solent University 4,815 2,970 1,545 4,810 3,140 1,410 4,810 3,210 1,465 
			 St. Martin's College 2,035 1,105 3,825 2,235 1,550 4,425 2,400 2,125 4,335 
			 St. Mary's College 1,510 590 180 1,535 690 320 1,460 670 405 
			 Trinity and All Saints College 1,460 515 125 1,300 575 145 1,345 520 180 
			 Trinity College of Music 155 110 15 240 145 10 265 150 10 
			 Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College 1,455 860 240 1,365 855 235 1,365 795 230 
			 University of Worcester 1,735 1,075 3,055 1,680 1,060 3,240 1,765 1,025 3,155 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 4,830 3,825 11,510 4,600 3,950 10,055 4,785 4,175 12,125 
			 Bath Spa University 1,820 760 745 2,050 915 860 2,160 1,035 780 
			 University of Bolton 1,145 1,360 2,760 1,095 1,360 2,905 1,095 1,350 3,065 
			 Bournemouth University 4,880 3,215 3,800 4,960 3,455 4,330 4,925 3,455 4,215 
			 University of Brighton 4,715 3,620 5,175 4,750 3,865 5,345 5,095 3,830 5,300 
			 University of Central England in Birmingham 5,395 5,145 7,040 5,375 5,400 7,570 5,590 5,455 7,280 
			 University of Central Lancashire 7,775 4,930 9,860 7,835 5,090 9,850 8,295 4,785 8,865 
			 University of Gloucestershire 3,525 1,940 1,945 3,275 2,050 2,285 2,995 2,015 1,810 
			 Coventry University 5,600 3,695 4,525 5,185 3,830 4,830 5,100 3,760 5,940 
			 University of Derby 4,295 3,145 3,010 4,515 3,055 3,180 4,260 3,105 3,435 
			 University of East London 2,360 2,760 3,805 2,215 3,035 4,205 2,165 3,165 4,525 
			 University of Greenwich 4,135 3,470 5,330 4,090 3,570 5,475 4,185 3,950 5,855 
			 University of Hertfordshire 6,580 3,790 4,565 7,180 3,955 4,935 8,010 3,975 4,440 
			 University of Huddersfield 5,035 3,460 5,630 4,920 3,430 6,000 4,955 3,195 5,605 
			 University of Lincoln 4,380 1,985 4,975 5,090 1,995 3,955 5,715 1,970 3,130 
			 Kingston University 6,330 3,960 2,690 6,595 4,380 2,735 6,615 4,770 2,810 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 8,385 5,560 6,820 8,615 5,950 7,495 8,930 5,860 6,630 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 7,735 4,310 4,270 8,350 4,685 4,480 8,370 4,820 4,060 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 11,845 6,875 4,875 12,310 7,175 5,480 12,390 7,370 4,870 
			 Middlesex University 4,820 5,000 5,420 4,085 4,595 5,145 4,555 5,005 5,945 
			 De Montfort University 7,740 4,965 4,620 7,875 5,085 4,805 8,200 4,980 5,015 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 7,370 4,590 6,230 7,705 4,495 5,980 7,950 4,545 5,765 
			 Nottingham Trent University 10,085 4,655 2.945 10,530 5,100 4,900 10,160 5,495 4,295 
			 Oxford Brookes University 4,280 2,935 3,230 4,555 2,830 3,355 4,765 2,820 4,040 
			 University of Plymouth 7,960 4,525 8,710 8,065 4,795 9,330 8,215 4,840 9,295 
			 University of Portsmouth 6,320 3,250 3,230 6,935 3,375 3,515 7,535 3,540 3,250 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 9,770 5,335 4,115 9,955 5,310 4,050 10,010 5,355 4,290 
			 London South Bank University 2,455 3,585 7,865 2,300 3,610 8,775 2,335 3,510 8,390 
			 Staffordshire University 5,405 3,305 3,300 4,675 3,080 3,345 4,405 2,855 3,665 
			 University of Sunderland 3,860 2,590 5,805 3,900 2,575 6,785 3,945 2,630 7,170 
			 University of Teesside 4,470 3,215 9,220 4,570 3,485 9,960 4,475 3,455 9,155 
			 Thames Valley University 1,655 3,480 8,290 1,540 3,370 8,885 1,930 3,610 10,245 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 8,765 5,710 5,430 9,110 5,855 5,965 9,145 5,765 5,855 
			 University College Chichester 1,325 680 1,055 1,450 710 980 1,510 690 1,070 
			 University of Westminster 5,320 4,485 5,390 5,605 4,540 5,435 5,805 4,575 5,255 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 175 150 125 165 160 130 200 155 135 
			 University of Wolverhampton 5,750 4,350 6,155 5,890 4,415 7,015 6,045 4,410 6,735 
			 Aston University 3,360 1,510 150 3,420 1,640 165 3,480 1,650 200 
			 University of Bath 4,525 1,825 2,415 4,585 1,965 1,855 4,485 2,145 1,790 
			 University of Birmingham 10,860 3,560 4,125 11,180 3,785 3,535 11,210 3,765 2,375 
			 University of Bradford 2,870 2,120 2,240 2,840 1,980 2,375 2,855 1,985 2,320 
			 University of Bristol 6,810 2,825 3,795 6,905 2,955 3,855 7,180 2,960 4,100 
			 Brunel University 5,570 2,855 1,575 5,005 2,800 1,565 5,065 2,690 1,590 
			 University of Cambridge 7,890 2,550 4,645 7,955 2,410 4,450 7,835 2,380 4,400 
			 City University 2,575 2,475 6,305 2,775 2,510 6,565 2,815 2,440 7,605 
			 University of Durham 7,750 1,640 875 8,250 1,700 780 8,575 1,750 740 
			 University of East Anglia 4,225 1,485 4,385 4,505 1,585 4,925 4,730 1,590 3,695 
			 University of Essex 3,075 910 2,045 3,355 1,025 1,855 3,605 1,120 1,815 
			 University of Exeter 5,575 1,440 1,840 5,770 1,520 1,880 6,010 1,660 1,700 
			 University of Hull 5,520 2,375 8,150 5,555 2,400 7,215 5,950 2,455 7,425 
			 University of Keele 3,375 840 5,195 3,825 955 3,435 4,170 1,115 3,040 
			 University of Kent 4,865 1,770 3,345 5,495 1,830 3,285 5,850 2,090 3,420 
			 University of Lancaster 6,115 1,210 5,205 6,435 1,235 5,450 6,455 1,350 4,805 
			 University of Leeds 14,220 5,000 4,350 14,915 5,010 3,785 15,490 5,085 4,240 
			 University of Leicester 5,135 1,555 1,630 5,495 1,700 1,745 5,080 1,820 1,895 
			 University of Liverpool 8,115 3,240 4,380 8,675 3,430 3,595 8,795 3,320 3,465 
			 Birkbeck College 250 2,150 15,510 165 1,565 10,330 180 1,490 9,085 
			 Goldsmiths College 1,600 1,195 1,465 1,530 1,160 1,325 1,605 1,115 1,350 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 3,705 1,880 75 3,575 1,880 45 3,480 1,995 50 
			 Institute of Education 0 5 50 0 5 50 (1)— 5 70 
			 King's College London 5,785 3,695 3,125 5,725 3,745 3,625 5,620 3,670 3,865 
			 London Business School 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 1,595 310 35 1,735 320 25 1,815 370 25 
			 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 3,895 2,075 565 3,980 2,135 630 3,950 2,200 635 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 2,665 880 420 2,975 1,040 550 3,240 865 300 
			 Royal Veterinary College 380 275 35 450 330 35 555 370 30 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 535 860 1,335 530 845 1,310 500 860 1,385 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 625 430 250 665 450 270 695 510 235 
			 School of Pharmacy 280 195 65 290 205 65 310 225 80 
			 University College London 6,090 3,025 585 5,850 2,900 520 5,790 3,000 510 
			 University of London (Institutes and activities) 65 15 (1)— 60 15 (1)— 60 15 (1)— 
			 Loughborough University 7,135 2,470 220 7,200 2,565 195 7,220 2,555 180 
			 University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 8,045 2,470 1,215 8,360 2,785 515 8,275 3,175 460 
			 University of Nottingham 11,090 3,615 6,210 11,600 3,875 6,240 11,775 4,000 6,435 
			 University of Oxford 8,010 2,345 4,410 8,050 2,325 3,660 7,920 2,525 3,650 
			 University of Reading 5,385 1,450 2,775 5,570 1,495 2,110 5,510 1,570 2,295 
			 University of Salford 5,795 3,780 4,820 5,685 3,860 4,845 5,670 3,870 5,115 
			 University of Sheffield 10,085 3,760 3,515 10,200 3,855 3,230 10,555 3,880 2,920 
			 University of Southampton 7,685 3,395 4,450 7,810 3,410 3,795 7,830 3,390 3,710 
			 University of Surrey 2,980 1,715 4,110 3,155 1,940 4,240 3,220 1,805 3,285 
			 University of Sussex 3,630 1,615 3,170 3,420 1,720 2,805 3,490 1,730 2,925 
			 University of Warwick 6,670 2,050 7,965 6,690 2,230 8,430 6,890 2,465 7,350 
			 University of York 4,550 1,040 1,790 4,960 1,065 1,780 5,095 1,030 1,845 
			 Institute of Cancer Research 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Writtle College 515 285 375 470 245 310 465 230 330 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 265 220 110 275 215 115 360 220 130 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 85 30 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 475 240 140 520 250 150 540 235 115 
			 Royal Agricultural College 285 125 10 330 145 20 355 160 20 
			 Arts Institute at Bournemouth 545 340 215 595 365 200 725 405 185 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 105 100 30 250 180 60 360 300 65 
			 Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies 1,340 755 355 1,130 770 520 1,115 760 700 
			 Courtauld Institute of Art 70 20 10 75 20 10 80 30 5 
			 London Metropolitan University 5,335 7,610 8,225 4,525 7,225 7,725 4,065 6,675 7,075 
			 University of Buckingham 0 0 0 0 0 0 50 20 50 
			 University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 2,630 990 95 2,730 915 110 0 0 0 
			 University or Manchester 10,430 4,455 3,695 11,350 4,405 6,020 14,540 5,405 5,930 
			 Total 496,195 282,105 498,400 507,145 291,580 508,435 517,795 296,700 505,945 
			 (1 )Indicates less than 3 and greater than 0.  1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so components do not sum to totals. 2. Data on the University of Buckingham are not available for years earlier than 2004/05. 3. UMIST merged with University of Manchester in 2004: Figures are amalgamated for 2004/05.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Higher Education

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time students are enrolled in each higher education institution.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures for 2004/05 are shown in the following table. Figures for the 2005/06 academic year will become available at the beginning of 2007.
	
		
			  UK-domiciled undergraduates at each English institution by mode of study, 2004/05 
			  Institution  Full-time  Part-time  Total 
			 Open University 0 154,660 154,660 
			 Cranfield University 200 0 200 
			 Royal College of Art 0 0 0 
			 Royal College of Nursing 0 645 645 
			 Bishop Grosseteste College 945 20 965 
			 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College 5,175 2,535 7,710 
			 Central School of Speech and Drama 435 0 435 
			 University of Chester 6,465 3,415 9,880 
			 Canterbury Christ Church University 6,095 5,060 11,155 
			 York St. John College 3,440 1,370 4,810 
			 College of St. Mark and St. John 1,900 395 2,290 
			 Dartington College of Arts 435 C \J 440 
			 Edge Hill College of HE 5,450 4,730 10,180 
			 University College Falmouth 1,585 55 1,640 
			 Harper Adams University College 1,190 385 1,575 
			 Homerton College 935 1,805 2,740 
			 Kent Institute of Art and Design 1,570 120 1,690 
			 University of Winchester 3,095 965 4,060 
			 Liverpool Hope University 3,985 1,380 5,360 
			 University of the Arts, London 6,795 560 7,355 
			 University of Luton 4,520 3,080 7,600 
			 University of Northampton 6,370 2,190 8,560 
			 Newman College of Higher Education 1,295 705 2,000 
			 Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication 925 0 925 
			 Roehampton University 5,275 660 5,935 
			 Rose Bruford College 485 225 715 
			 Royal Academy of Music 220 (1)— 225 
			 Royal College of Music 230 (1)— 230 
			 Royal Northern College of Music 340 0 340 
			 Southampton Solent University 7,840 1,645 9,485 
			 St. Martin's College 4,430 4,425 8.860 
			 St. Mary's College 2,250 280 2,535 
			 Trinity and All Saints College 1,920 125 2,045 
			 Trinity College of Music 430 0 430 
			 Surrey Institute of Art and Design, University College 2,315 80 2,395 
			 University of Worcester 3,375 2,570 5,945 
			 Anglia Polytechnic University 8,425 12,660 21,085 
			 Bath Spa University 3,680 295 3,975 
			 University of Bolton 2,910 2,605 5,515 
			 Bournemouth University 8,870 3,725 12,595 
			 University of Brighton 10,125 4,095 14,220 
			 University of Central England in Birmingham 11,895 6,430 18,325 
			 University of Central Lancashire 14,265 7,685 21,950 
			 University of Gloucestershire 5,145 1,670 6,820 
			 Coventry University 8,985 5,810 14,795 
			 University of Derby 8,045 2,750 10,795 
			 University of East London 6,810 3,045 9,855 
			 University of Greenwich 9,690 4,300 13,990 
			 University of Hertfordshire 13,375 3,050 16,425 
			 University of Huddersfield 8,605 5,145 13,755 
			 University of Lincoln 7,965 2,850 10,815 
			 Kingston University 12,325 1,875 14,200 
			 Leeds Metropolitan University 13,890 7,530 21,420 
			 Liverpool John Moores University 13,225 4,025 17,250 
			 Manchester Metropolitan University 20,555 4,070 24,625 
			 Middlesex University 11,745 3,760 15,505 
			 De Montfort University 14,265 3,930 18,195 
			 University of Northumbria at Newcastle 13,685 4,580 18,265 
			 Nottingham Trent University 15,610 4,340 19,950 
			 Oxford Brookes University 8,510 3,115 11,625 
			 University of Plymouth 15,615 6,735 22,350 
			 University of Portsmouth 12,080 2,245 14,325 
			 Sheffield Hallam University 15,960 3,695 19,650 
			 London South Bank University 7,575 6,660 14,235 
			 Staffordshire University 7,815 3,110 10,925 
			 University of Sunderland 6,280 7,465 13,740 
			 University of Teesside 7,980 9,110 17,090 
			 Thames Valley University 7,060 8,725 15,785 
			 University of the West of England, Bristol 15,710 5,065 20,770 
			 University College Chichester 2,565 705 3,270 
			 University of Westminster 9,565 6,070 15,635 
			 Wimbledon School of Art 420 65 485 
			 University of Wolverhampton 10,970 6,215 17,185 
			 Aston University 5,100 230 5,330 
			 University of Bath 6,605 1,820 8,425 
			 University of Birmingham 14,990 2,355 17,350 
			 University of Bradford 5,615 1,545 7,160 
			 University of Bristol 10,115 4,125 14,240 
			 Brunel University 8,285 1,060 9,345 
			 University of Cambridge 10,390 4,220 14,615 
			 City University 5,620 7,235 12,860 
			 University of Durham 10,700 360 11,065 
			 University of East Anglia 7,190 2,825 10,015 
			 University of Essex 4,900 1,640 6,540 
			 University of Exeter 7,930 1,435 9,370 
			 University of Hull 8,855 6,980 15,835 
			 University of Keele 5,490 2,835 8,325 
			 University of Kent 7,955 3,405 11,365 
			 University of Lancaster 7,220 5,395 12,615 
			 University of Leeds 21,065 3,750 24,815 
			 University of Leicester 7,020 1,775 8,795 
			 University of Liverpool 12,110 3,470 15,575 
			 Birkbeck College 5 10,745 10,755 
			 Goldsmiths College 2,900 1,175 4,070 
			 Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine 5,520 2 5,525 
			 Institute of Education 20 55 75 
			 King's College London 10,420 2,740 13,155 
			 London Business School 0 0 0 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 2,120 90 2,205 
			 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 0 0 0 
			 Queen Mary and Westfield College 6,475 305 6,785 
			 Royal Holloway and Bedford New College 3,970 435 4,405 
			 Royal Veterinary College 945 10 955 
			 St. George's Hospital Medical School 1,670 1,080 2,750 
			 School of Oriental and African Studies 1,410 30 1,435 
			 School of Pharmacy 600 15 615 
			 University College London 9,075 220 9,300 
			 University of London (Institutes and activities) 75 0 75 
			 Loughborough University 9,730 220 9,955 
			 University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 11,785 120 11,910 
			 University of Nottingham 16,835 5,370 22,210 
			 University of Oxford 10,375 3,720 14,090 
			 University of Reading 7,330 2,045 9,375 
			 University of Salford 11,695 2,960 14,655 
			 University of Sheffield 15,390 1,965 17,355 
			 University of Southampton 12,580 2,350 14,930 
			 University of Surrey 5,860 2,455 8,315 
			 University of Sussex 5,730 2,410 8,140 
			 University of Warwick 8,395 8,315 16,710 
			 University of York 6,565 1,400 7,970 
			 Institute of Cancer Research 0 0 0 
			 Writtle College 790 230 1,025 
			 Norwich School of Art and Design 700 10 710 
			 Northern School of Contemporary Dance 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria Institute of the Arts 855 35 885 
			 Royal Agricultural College 530 5 535 
			 Arts Institute at Bournemouth 1,190 125 1,315 
			 Conservatoire for Dance and Drama 715 10 725 
			 Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies 1,830 745 2,575 
			 Courtauld Institute of Art 115 0 115 
			 London Metropolitan University 11,525 6,290 17,810 
			 University of Buckingham 95 25 120 
			 University of Manchester 21,055 4,820 25,875 
			 Total 838,145 482,300 1,320,445 
			 (1 )Indicates less than 5.  Note:  Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5, so components do not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Nuclear Scientists/Engineers

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the number of nuclear scientists and engineers.

Bill Rammell: The Government are committed to increasing the number of students taking up higher education courses in mathematics, scientific and engineering disciplines. The 10 year science and innovation investment framework, published two years ago jointly by Treasury, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Education and Skills, sets out a range of measures to develop a strong supply of scientists, engineers and technologists. It is a matter for each individual higher education institution to decide which courses to offer, including whether to offer courses related to nuclear science.

Primary Schools

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his policy that primary schools in England with fewer than 100 pupils should be closed.

Jim Knight: It is not the Departments policy that primary schools in England with fewer than 100 pupils should be closed. Local authorities are responsible for balancing the supply and demand of places in their areas to ensure schools serve the needs of their local communities and provide good quality education in the most cost effective way. As part of this, they need to determine the numbers and sizes of schools they need, taking into account the views and aspirations of parents and other stakeholders.
	Many small schools are also rural schools and there is a presumption against the closure of these schools. Although this does not mean that no rural school will ever close, the case for closure needs to be strong and clearly in the best interests of education provision in the area. Since the presumption was introduced in February 1998 the number of rural schools approved for closure has fallen from an average of 30 a year to six a year. Statutory guidance to school organisation committees and the schools adjudicator also makes clear that they must not assume a school must be of a certain size to be a good school.

Universities (Industrial Action)

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many university students he estimates will be unable to graduate  (a) at all and  (b) without a full record of performance of marks as a result of the recent industrial action.

Bill Rammell: Although this dispute was between universities and trade unions, I have kept closely in touch with both sides throughout its progress and consistently urged that the dispute be urgently resolved and the impact on students lifted.
	I welcome the agreement reached between the HE employers and unions on pay and the immediate suspension of the university and college union's industrial action. This is good news for staff and students alike. I expect that institutions and staff will work hard to ensure that every student gets their marks and the opportunity to graduate in good time. The employers and UCU have agreed to work together to ensure a quick return to normal business. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we will continue to monitor closely the situation with regard to any residual effects of the dispute.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Chief Accounting Officer

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) name,  (b) professional and academic qualifications and  (c) relevant experience are of the chief accounting officer of his Department.

Gareth Thomas: Suma Chakrabarti is the Permanent Secretary of the Department of International Development. His qualifications are as follows: New College, Oxford (BA PPE); and Sussex University (MA Econ).
	His relevant experience to the work of the Department is as follows:
	ODI fellow and economist, Government of Botswana, 1981-84;
	Senior economic assistant and economic adviser, overseas development administration (ODA), 1984-88;
	Assistant to UK executive director, IMF and World Bank, Washington 1988-1990;
	Private Secretary to right hon. Lynda Chalker, ODA, 1990-92;
	Assistant secretary, Aid Policy and Resources Department, ODA, 1992-96;
	Environment, Transport and Regions Team, Spending Directorate, HM Treasury, 1996-98;
	Director, Budget and Public Finances, HM Treasury, 1998;
	Director of Performance and Innovation Unit, Cabinet Office, 1998-2000;
	Head of Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat, Cabinet Office, 2000-01; and
	Director General for Regional Programmes, DFID, 2001-02.
	The accounting officer is a role that the Permanent Secretary combines with his personal responsibility for the overall organisation, management and staffing of the department and for department-wide procedures in financial and other matters. The accounting officer is assisted in the discharge of these duties by suitably qualified and experienced senior managers such as the finance director.

Departmental Pensions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will estimate the pension liability of his Department over the next 30 years.

Gareth Thomas: HM Treasury made a full statement about the total liability of unfunded public service pension schemes as at 31 March 2005. A technical note was placed in the Library on 2 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 388-390, following an oral Statement in Parliament by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury. The note provides detailed information about the size and nature of the liabilities and how they are calculated.
	The principal civil service pension scheme is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme. Pension liabilities are not estimated for individual departments, they are estimated for individual pension schemes, as shown in the breakdown of liabilities per pension scheme given in Table 1 of the technical note.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of his staff are  (a) under and  (b) over 55 years of age.

Gareth Thomas: As at 31 December 2005, there were 1,659 staff under 55 years of age and 213 staff over 55 years of age employed by the Department for International Development.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many people over the age of 55 years were recruited into his Department in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: Numbers of DFID staff over the age of 55, recruited into the Department in each of the last three financial years, are in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 7 
			 2004-05 11 
			 2005-06 3

Fair Trade

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with retailers on promoting fair-trade products.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are a strong supporter of fair-trade products. They help farmers and other producers earn a decent living and get more of the final value of the product. DFID supports a number of initiatives to help more producers benefit from fair-trade certification. DFID has given over £1 million to the Fairtrade Foundation, including support for new product development and encouraging engagement with UK retailers.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and I have recently been in written communication with some of the large UK retailers, including Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's on their fair-trade product development and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development is in contact with them on the related issue of standards and sourcing products in developing countries.

HIV/AIDS

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress was made at the most recent UN General Assembly meeting in relation to increased provision of treatment for HIV/AIDS.

Gareth Thomas: On June 2, the United Nations General Assembly agreed a Political Declaration which provides a political blueprint for achieving Universal Access. It sets out commitments for countries to develop, by the end of 2006, ambitious national plans to scale up towards universal access by 2010. The commitments include:
	working towards comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, with interim targets for 2008;
	providing $20 to 23 billion annually by 2010 for AIDS responses;
	promoting the rights and reducing the vulnerability of sex workers, men who have sex with men, children, women, adolescent girls and drug users;
	intensifying efforts to develop new technology especially microbicides and vaccines; ensuring that no credible, sustainable national plan should go unfunded; and
	strengthening countries' capacity to use the flexibilities within TRIPS because of their importance in protecting public health.
	The UK delegation—led by my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development and by the Minister of State for Public Health, including four representatives from civil society, two parliamentarians and one representative from the Overseas Territories—played an active role in the difficult negotiations which led to the agreement of this Declaration. The document broadly reflects the core issues that the UK wanted to see included. We would have preferred to see explicit reference to vulnerable groups—sex workers, men who have sex with men, drug users, prisoners and migrants. But the Declaration does commit to promote the rights of these groups. As such, it presents progress—something which will promote future action towards universal access, and that can be used as the basis for future discussions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Act of Union (Commemoration)

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans her Department has to commemorate the 300(th) anniversary of the Act of Union with Scotland in 2007.

David Lammy: The Secretary of State has no plans at present to commemorate the 300(th) anniversary of the Act of Union with Scotland in 2007.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her staff are  (a) under and  (b) over 55 years of age.

David Lammy: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, there are 11 staff over the age of 55 years and 506 staff under the age of 55 years.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people over the age of 55 years have been recruited into her Department in each of the last three years.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a relatively small department with little external recruitment during the last three years. As the numbers are so small we are unable to reveal the figures on the grounds of confidentiality.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many days since May 1997 the St. George's flag has been flown from her Department's buildings.

David Lammy: The St. George's flag is flown on Government buildings with two or more flag poles on St. George's Day, 23 April.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not flown the St. George's Flag from its building. However, we plan to fly the flag on 23 April 2007.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's policy is on flying the  (a) St. George's flag and  (b) EU flag from departmental buildings.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issues guidance to Government Departments for flying flags on buildings. This instructs all Government Departments in England that have more than one flag pole to fly the flag of St. George on St. George's Day 23 April and the European Flag on Europe Day 9 May, alongside the Union Flag provided the Union Flag is flown in a superior position.

Flag Flying

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will ensure the Union Flag is flown from her Department's buildings on every day the offices are open.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for issuing rules for hoisting the Union flag on Government Buildings. The rules are approved by the Queen on advice from the Department.
	The Union Flag is flown on Government buildings to mark the birthdays of members of the Royal Family undertaking official duties and specific national events including Remembrance Sunday, Europe Day, St. George's Day, Her Majesty's Accession and Wedding Day. The Union Flag is also flown on other occasions—for example, for state visits.
	There are no plans at present to change this arrangement. However individuals, local authorities and other organisations can fly the Union Flag whenever they wish, subject to compliance with local planning requirements.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Aerospace Industry

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the effect of spending on aerospace on the economy.

Margaret Hodge: The Department submitted evidence to the Trade and Industry Committee inquiry into the competitiveness of the UK aerospace industry in 2005. The Department's evidence addresses the contribution of UK aerospace to the economy and Government support for the aerospace industry. The DTI's memorandum is available on the Trade and Industry Committee website at http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmerduid.htm

Aerospace Industry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with BAE Systems on securing ongoing export contracts for the Brough site; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: None. Primary responsibility for the promotion of export sales of the Hawk military fast jet training aircraft produced by BAE Systems at Brough rests with the Ministry of Defence's Defence Export Services Organisation.

Bankruptcy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Coventry South have been declared bankrupt in each year since 1997.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 16 May 2006
	Regional insolvency statistics are only available on the basis of the locations of Official Receivers offices, each of which cover a group of county courts where the cases are heard and the courts having jurisdiction over these. As such, they are not directly comparable with standard geographies such as government office regions, local authorities etc. Coventry South is best matched to Coventry county court, under the Birmingham B Official Receiver's office. Figures are shown in the following table, but it should be noted that, for the above reasons, these will not be an exact measure of bankruptcies in Coventry South.
	
		
			   Number of bankruptcy orders made in Coventry county court 
			 1998 69 
			 1999 119 
			 2000 113 
			 2001 147 
			 2002 152 
			 2003 184 
			 2004 203 
			 2005 314

Citizens Advice

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Statement of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, column 560, on Citizens Advice, how much funding was received by Citizens Advice directly from the Government in each of the last five years.

Ian McCartney: Citizens Advice receives funding from a number of Government Departments. Details can be found in the Citizens Advice's Annual Reports for each year. Copies can be found in the Libraries of both Houses.

Citizens Advice

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the statement of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, column 560, on Citizens Advice, how much funding he expects the Government to allocate to Citizens Advice for 2006-07; and whether the Government plans to fund individual citizens' advice bureaux.

Ian McCartney: The Department has not yet decided on the level of funding for Citizens Advice in 2006-07. The Government have no plans to fund the core activities of local CAB. That is largely a matter for the relevant local authority. However, from time to time, CAB are awarded contracts to run specific initiatives and schemes such as the recent Face-to-Face debt advice programme.

Consumer Affairs Council

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's position was in the negotiations on the Working Time Directive at the Consumer Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 1 June 2006; what the outcome was of the meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: The Government's policy and negotiating priorities for the new Working Time Directive remain to achieve a solution that retains the voluntary individual opt out from the 48 hour weekly working limit and that addresses the problems caused to Europe's health and emergency services by the European Court of Justice's rulings on the SiMAP and Jaeger cases.
	Member states failed to reach political agreement at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Luxembourg. The UK Government tried to find a way forward, but there remained two opposing views.

Fair Trade

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the change in volume of fair trade products sold in the United Kingdom has been over the last three years.

Ian McCartney: The volume of Fairtrade certified products sold in the UK has grown by 111 per cent. since 2003, reaching £195 million in 2005. The UK is the largest Fairtrade market across the 20 Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) participating countries. Particular examples include: sales of Fairtrade coffee in the UK reached £65.8 million in 2005, from £34.3 million in 2003; and Fairtrade bananas are now worth £47.7 million, up from £24.3 million in 2003.
	The UK Government support the aims of the Fairtrade movement, and in March 2005 increased its funding to the Fairtrade Foundation, through DfID, by a further £750,000. This brings the Government's total level of support to over £1 million between 2002 and 2007, to raise business and consumer awareness of fairly traded products through educational and promotional activities.

Fire Regulations

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what checks are made to ensure that imported furniture, mattresses and fabrics comply with UK fire resistance regulations.

Ian McCartney: The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, including cover fabrics, and mattresses imported into the UK. These Regulations are enforced by Trading Standards, who have powers to check products and suspend or seize those not meeting the requirements of the Regulations. These powers also allow Trading Standards to prosecute the suppliers of non-compliant products.

Internet Governance Forum

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his Department is preparing to communicate the multi-stakeholder view at the Internet Governance Forum; and what consultation his Department has undertaken on the subject.

Margaret Hodge: The World Summit on the Information Society, which met in Tunis in November 2005, recommended the creation of an Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to bring together industry, civil society and governments to look at important Internet issues such as freedom of expression and the free flow of information, security and user protection, linguistic diversity, and the digital divide.
	In January 2006, DTI hosted a UK consultation on the IGF, and the conclusions of this meeting have been fed into the international consultation and are published on the IGF website (http://www. intgovforum.org/contributions/igf.pdf). The creation of a forum where stakeholders can meet on an equal footing is seen as a positive step: industry, civil society and users working with governments can develop practical ways of addressing concerns on the use and misuse of the Internet. The IGF should be open and inclusive, and focus on a few topics.
	We now want industry and civil society to take the lead in preparing for the first IGF meeting in October. I am pleased that Nominet, the registry for dot.uk Internet domain names is organising a first meeting on 4 July 2006 in the Houses of Parliament, bringing together industry, civil society, and government. I hope to be involved in this discussion.
	The Oxford Internet Institute is also developing a dialogue on issues on the IGF agenda.
	Initiatives like these will help us identify clear ideas and objectives for the IGF and will help UK stakeholders to make a very positive contribution to the discussion.

Personal Debt

Celia Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps regulatory authorities have taken to prevent adverse effects on individuals' credit ratings in cases in which, where the validity of a debt is in dispute, banks sell on the debt to other companies who then refuse to enter into dialogue over the disputed claim.

Ian McCartney: Information on credit ratings is kept by the Credit Reference Agencies (CRA) who are under a legal obligation to publish accurate and up-to-date information. If any information is disputed, the individual concerned should write to the relevant CRA. The CRA will then flag the entry in question as a disputed item which should not be relied upon, while raising the matter with the relevant lender in order to reach a view about the validity of the entry.
	An individual in dispute about an entry on their credit file can also ask the Information Commissioner to consider the details of their case.

Peugeot

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had regarding the future of Peugeot in the UK; and where and when those discussions took place.

Margaret Hodge: DTI has a long history of dialogue with Peugeot in the UK and has had frequent meetings with the company to discuss their UK manufacturing operations. Most recently, the then Secretary of State met the Chief Executive Officer of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Jean-Martin Folz, on 26 April in London. My predecessor met Mr. Folz on 18 April in London. We remain in regular contact with Peugeot at official level.
	During a Westminster Hall debate on 13 June, I agreed to meet my hon. Friend and other local MPs to discuss Peugeot and wider manufacturing issues in the Coventry area in further detail.

Peugeot

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions his Department has had with Peugeot management regarding the trade unions alternative plan.

Margaret Hodge: My predecessor met the Chief Executive Officer of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Jean-Martin Folz, on 18 April. The then Secretary of State met Mr. Folz on 26 April. The trade unions have kept DTI officials updated on the developments of their counter-proposals, for which we are grateful. HM Government have made clear to Peugeot the importance of open and constructive dialogue, consistent with legal obligations under information and consultation legislation.
	During a Westminster Hall debate on 13 June, I agreed to meet my hon. Friend and other local MPs to discuss Peugeot and wider manufacturing issues in the Coventry area in further detail.

Social Enterprises

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many social enterprise advisers there are in  (a) Luton and  (b) Bedfordshire.

Margaret Hodge: Research has identified that a range of organisations are taking a leading role in providing support to social enterprises in Bedfordshire and Luton, although it has not been possible to identify exact numbers of specific social enterprise advisors. The organisations identified include:
	Chamber of Commerce/Business Link
	Voluntary Action Luton
	Luton Borough Council
	Cranfield Trust
	Luton and Dunstable Innovation Centre
	Social Firms Eastern Region
	University of Luton
	Spires Innovation Centre.
	The East of England Development Agency's (EEDA) Investing in Communities (IiC) programme and the Social Enterprise Steering Group in Bedfordshire and Luton have recently commissioned a report to review social enterprise activity in Bedfordshire and Luton, which in turn has informed the development of a social enterprise draft action plan.

South West Regional Development Agency

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many jobs the South West Regional Development Agency has created in  (a) Swindon and  (b) each district council in Wiltshire in each year since 2003.

Margaret Hodge: I am advised by the South West of England Regional Development Agency that it does not hold information on jobs created by local authority area. As a strategic organisation many of the activities in which it is involved operate at regional level, or across county or unitary boundaries. The Agency reports on a range of outcomes that are directly attributable to its investment in support of projects and activities across the region, one of which is jobs created or safeguarded. The figures for jobs created/safeguarded by the Agency in the region since 2003 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 6,060 
			 2003-04 6,024 
			 2002-03 6,508

Strawberry Imports

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he has taken to impose anti-dumping measures against the import of frozen strawberries from China.

Ian McCartney: None. The European Commission is currently investigating a complaint of dumping.

Sun Beds

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the safety implications of the use of hired sun beds for use in the home; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I am advised that there have been no assessments of the safety implications of the use of hired sun beds for use in the home by the Health and Safety Executive.

Supermarkets

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints the Office of Fair Trading has received on breaches of the code of conduct by supermarkets.

Ian McCartney: The Office of Fair Trading has received 20 complaints about breaches of the Code since it came into force on 17 March 2002. Those who have complained more than once or have raised more than one complaint about breaches are treated as a single complaint. Those complaining about supermarkets more generally are not included in the figures.

Unscrupulous Lenders

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his Department's recent discussions on strengthening enforcement against unscrupulous lenders.

Ian McCartney: The Consumer Credit Act 2006 will improve the regulation and monitoring of consumer credit businesses and extend protections, rights and means of redress for consumers against unscrupulous lenders. Furthermore, the Loan Shark Pilots the Government have funded in Birmingham and Glasgow will enable Trading Standards to prosecute illegal lenders in these areas and gain a clearer understanding of the scope, extent and impact of illegal money lending. Finally, the Financial Inclusion Fund includes 45 million to increase face-to-face debt advice capacity, with particular regard to the needs of vulnerable consumers.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Data Protection

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the statement on 20 November 2005 by a spokesman for her Department on the practice of selling personal data about drivers, what action has been taken to prevent the practice by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer to my written statements of 2 December 2005,  Official Report, columns 50-1WS and 16 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 123-4WS.
	Consultation concluded at the end of March and I am considering the 126 responses. While I am keen to make an announcement as soon as possible, this is an important and complex matter and I intend to give it full and careful consideration before doing so.